HOUSE BILL No. 6482

 

 

November 7, 2018, Introduced by Rep. VerHeulen and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

 

     A bill to amend 1992 PA 234, entitled

 

"The judges retirement act of 1992,"

 

by amending sections 301 and 604 (MCL 38.2301 and 38.2604), section

 

604 as amended by 2008 PA 514, and by adding sections 509a and

 

714a.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 301. (1) The retirement system shall direct the actuary

 

to do all of the following:

 

     (a) Determine the annual level percent of payroll contribution

 

rate to finance the benefits provided under this act by actuarial

 

valuation pursuant to under subsections (2) and (3), and upon on

 

the basis of the risk assumptions that the retirement board and the

 

department adopt after consultation with the state treasurer and

 

the actuary.

 

     (b) Make an annual actuarial valuation of the retirement


system in order to determine the actuarial condition of the

 

retirement system and the required contribution to the retirement

 

system.

 

     (c) Make an annual actuarial gain-loss experience study of the

 

retirement system in order to determine the financial effect of

 

variations of actual retirement system experience from projected

 

experience.

 

     (2) The actuary shall compute the contribution rate for

 

monthly benefits payable in the event of death of a member before

 

retirement or the disability of a member using a terminal funding

 

an individual projected benefit entry age normal cost method of

 

actuarial valuation.

 

     (3) The actuary shall compute the contribution rate for

 

benefits other than those described in subsection (2) using an

 

individual projected benefit entry age normal actuarial cost

 

method. The contribution rate for service that may be rendered in

 

the current year, known as the normal cost contribution rate, is

 

equal to the aggregate amount of individual entry age normal costs

 

divided by l% of the aggregate amount of active members' valuation

 

compensation. The contribution rate for unfunded service rendered

 

on or before the last day of the fiscal year, known as the unfunded

 

actuarial accrued liability contribution rate, is equal to the

 

aggregate amount of unfunded actuarial accrued liabilities divided

 

by l% of the actuarial present value over a period not to exceed 40

 

years of projected benefit compensation, where unfunded actuarial

 

accrued liabilities are equal to the actuarial present value of

 

benefits reduced by the actuarial present value of future normal


costs and the actuarial value of assets on the last day of the

 

fiscal year.Beginning with the September 30, 2017 valuation, the

 

contribution rate for health benefits provided under sections 509

 

and 719 must be computed using an individual projected benefit

 

entry age normal cost method of valuation. The unfunded actuarial

 

accrued liability must be equal to the actuarial present value of

 

benefits reduced by the actuarial present value of future normal

 

cost contributions and the actuarial value of assets on the

 

valuation date. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection,

 

the unfunded actuarial accrued liability must be amortized in

 

accordance with generally accepted governmental accounting

 

standards over a period equal to or less than 25 years, with the

 

payment schedule for the employer being based on and applied to the

 

combined payrolls of the employees who are Plan 1 members and Plan

 

2 members.

 

     Sec. 509a. (1) For a member or qualified participant who is

 

not a Plan 1 member or Plan 2 member and is not eligible for any

 

future health insurance coverage premium from the retirement

 

system, a member's or qualified participant's employer shall make a

 

matching contribution up to 2% of the member's or qualified

 

participant's compensation to Tier 2. A matching contribution under

 

this subsection may not be used as the basis for a loan from that

 

member or qualified participant's Tier 2 account.

 

     (2) A member or qualified participant as described in

 

subsection (1) may make a contribution up to 2% of the member's or

 

qualified participant's compensation to a Tier 2 account. A member

 

or qualified participant who makes a contribution under this


subsection may make additional contributions to his or her Tier 2

 

account as permitted by the department and the internal revenue

 

code.

 

     (3) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a member

 

or qualified participant is vested in contributions made to his or

 

her Tier 2 account under subsections (1) and (2) according to the

 

vesting provisions under section 715.

 

     (4) The contributions described in this section must begin

 

with the first payroll date after the member or qualified

 

participant is employed or after October 1, 2019, whichever is

 

later, and end on his or her termination of employment.

 

     (5) As used in this section, "employer" means that term as

 

defined in section 705.

 

     Sec. 604. (1) This section is enacted pursuant to under

 

section 401(a) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 401, that

 

imposes certain administrative requirements and benefit limitations

 

for qualified governmental plans. This state intends that the

 

retirement system be a qualified pension plan created in trust

 

under section 401 of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 401, and

 

that the trust be an exempt organization under section 501 of the

 

internal revenue code, 26 USC 501. The department shall administer

 

the retirement system to fulfill this intent.

 

     (2) The retirement system shall be administered in compliance

 

with the provisions of section 415 of the internal revenue code, 26

 

USC 415, and regulations under that section that are applicable to

 

governmental plans and beginning January 1, 2010, applicable

 

provisions of the final regulations issued by the internal revenue


service Internal Revenue Service on April 5, 2007. Employer-

 

financed benefits provided by the retirement system under this act

 

shall must not exceed the applicable limitations set forth in

 

section 415 of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 415, as adjusted

 

by the commissioner of internal revenue under section 415(d) of the

 

internal revenue code, 26 USC 415, to reflect cost-of-living

 

increases, and the retirement system shall adjust the benefits,

 

including benefits payable to retirants and retirement allowance

 

beneficiaries, subject to the limitation each calendar year to

 

conform with the adjusted limitation. For purposes of section

 

415(b) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 415, the applicable

 

limitation shall apply applies to aggregated benefits received from

 

all qualified pension plans for which the office of retirement

 

services coordinates administration of that limitation. If there is

 

a conflict between this section and another section of this act,

 

this section prevails.

 

     (3) The assets of the retirement system shall must be held in

 

trust and invested for the sole purpose of meeting the legitimate

 

obligations of the retirement system and shall must not be used for

 

any other purpose. The assets shall must not be used for or

 

diverted to a purpose other than for the exclusive benefit of the

 

members, vested former members, retirants, and retirement allowance

 

beneficiaries before satisfaction of all retirement system

 

liabilities.

 

     (4) The retirement system shall return post-tax member

 

contributions made by a member and received by the retirement

 

system to a member upon on retirement, pursuant to internal revenue


service under Internal Revenue Service regulations and approved

 

internal revenue service under Internal Revenue Service exclusion

 

ratio tables.

 

     (5) The required beginning date for retirement allowances and

 

other distributions shall must not be later than April 1 of the

 

calendar year following the calendar year in which the employee

 

attains age 70-1/2 or April 1 of the calendar year following the

 

calendar year in which the employee retires. The required minimum

 

distribution requirements imposed by section 401(a)(9) of the

 

internal revenue code, 26 USC 401, shall apply to this act and must

 

be administered in accordance with a reasonable and good faith

 

interpretation of the required minimum distribution requirements

 

for all years in which the required minimum distribution

 

requirements apply to this act.

 

     (6) If the retirement system is terminated, the interest of

 

the members, vested former members, retirants, and retirement

 

allowance beneficiaries in the retirement system is nonforfeitable

 

to the extent funded as described in section 411(d)(3) of the

 

internal revenue code, 26 USC 411, and related internal revenue

 

service regulations applicable to governmental plans.

 

     (7) Notwithstanding any other provision of this act to the

 

contrary that would limit a distributee's election under this act,

 

a distributee may elect, at the time and in the manner prescribed

 

by the retirement board, to have any portion of an eligible

 

rollover distribution paid directly to an eligible retirement plan

 

specified by the distributee in a direct rollover. This subsection

 

applies to distributions made on or after January 1, 1993.December


31, 1992. Beginning October 1, 2010, a nonspouse beneficiary may

 

elect to have any portion of an amount payable under this act that

 

is an eligible rollover distribution treated as a direct rollover

 

that will be paid in a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer to an

 

individual retirement account or individual retirement annuity

 

described in section 408(a) or (b) of the internal revenue code, 26

 

USC 408, that is established for the purpose of receiving a

 

distribution on behalf of the beneficiary and that will be treated

 

as an inherited individual retirement account or individual

 

retirement annuity pursuant to section 402(c)(11) of the internal

 

revenue code, 26 USC 402.

 

     (8) For purposes of determining actuarial equivalent

 

retirement allowances under sections 506(1)(a) and (b) and 602, the

 

actuarially assumed interest rate shall be is 8% with utilization

 

of the 1983 group annuity and mortality table.

 

     (9) Notwithstanding any other provision of this act, the

 

compensation of a member of the retirement system shall must be

 

taken into account for any year under the retirement system only to

 

the extent that it does not exceed the compensation limit

 

established in section 401(a)(17) of the internal revenue code, 26

 

USC 401, as adjusted by the commissioner of internal revenue. This

 

subsection applies to any person an individual who first becomes a

 

member of the retirement system on or after October 1, September

 

30, 1996.

 

     (10) Notwithstanding any other provision of this act,

 

contributions, benefits, and service credit with respect to

 

qualified military service will be provided under the retirement


system in accordance with section 414(u) of the internal revenue

 

code, 26 USC 414. This subsection applies to all qualified military

 

service on or after December 12, 11, 1994. Beginning on January 1,

 

2007, in accordance with section 401(a)(37) of the internal revenue

 

code, 26 USC 401, if a member dies while performing qualified

 

military service, for purposes of determining any death benefits

 

payable under this act, the member shall be is treated as having

 

resumed and then terminated employment on account of death.

 

     Sec. 714a. Tier 2 and tax-deferred accounts are subject to the

 

following terms and conditions:

 

     (a) Before April 2, 2019, the retirement system shall design

 

an automatic enrollment feature that provides that unless a

 

qualified participant who makes contributions under section 714(3)

 

or who makes a contribution under section 509a(2) elects to

 

contribute a lesser amount, the qualified participant shall

 

contribute the amount required to qualify for all eligible matching

 

contributions under this act. The retirement system shall implement

 

this automatic enrollment feature as soon as administratively

 

feasible, but no later than 12 months after the enactment of the

 

amendatory act that added this section.

 

     (b) In addition to elective employee contributions to Tier 2

 

or a tax-deferred account, this state may use elective employee

 

contributions to the state 457 deferred compensation plan as a

 

basis for making employer matching contributions to Tier 2 or a

 

tax-deferred account.

 

     (c) Employer matching contributions do not have to be made to

 

the same plan or account to which the elective employee


contributions were contributed as the basis for the matching

 

contributions.

 

     (d) Elective employee contributions may not be used as the

 

basis for more than an equivalent amount of employer matching

 

contributions.

 

     (e) The retirement system shall design and implement a method

 

to determine the proper allocation of employer matching

 

contributions based on elective employee contributions as provided

 

in this section.