HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2985

             As Reported By House Committee on:

                       Appropriations

Title:  An act relating to establishing pension credit for law enforcement officers and fire fighters who qualified under a prior pension system.

Brief Description:  Allowing certain law enforcement officers and fire fighters pension credit for past service.

Sponsor(s):  Representatives Basich, Jones, Hargrove, Sheldon, Riley and Paris.

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Appropriations, February 10, 1992, DPS.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

APPROPRIATIONS

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 28 members:  Representatives Locke, Chair; Inslee, Vice Chair; Spanel, Vice Chair; Silver, Ranking Minority Member; Morton, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Appelwick; Belcher; Bowman; Braddock; Brekke; Carlson; Dorn; Ebersole; Fuhrman; Hine; Lisk; May; Mielke; Nealey; Peery; Pruitt; Rust; D. Sommers; H. Sommers; Sprenkle; Valle; Vance; and Wang.

Staff:  Barbara McLain (786-7153).

Background:  When the Law Enforcement Officers' and Fire Fighters' Retirement System (LEOFF) was created in 1970, members' employment service under prior retirement systems was transferred to the LEOFF system.  In addition, a five-year window, to March 1975, was created for members to restore contributions that they had withdrawn from the prior retirement system so they could receive service credit for that prior service.  A similar window was created for members who had been employed as police officers or fire fighters under a prior system, but were not yet members of the system when LEOFF was created and therefore never had the opportunity to receive credit for that service.  There has never been an additional open window period to restore contributions in LEOFF.

Summary of Substitute Bill:  Members of Plan I of the Law Enforcement Officers' and Fire Fighters' Retirement System (LEOFF) who cannot receive service credit for service under a pre-LEOFF retirement system because they withdrew their contributions under the pre-LEOFF system, have until June 30, 1993, to restore the contributions, with interest, and receive service credit under LEOFF I.

Members of LEOFF I whose pre-LEOFF service is not creditable because at the time of the service, the members were not yet members of the pre-LEOFF system, have until June 30, 1993, to pay the employer and employee contributions, with interest, for the prior service in order to receive service credit under LEOFF I.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The window to restore contributions applies to Plan I of LEOFF only, not Plan II.  Members who cannot credit their pre-LEOFF service because, at the time, they were not members of the pre-LEOFF system, have until June 30, 1993, to make employer and employee contributions to receive service credit under LEOFF for the prior service.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.

Testimony For:  None.

Testimony Against:  None.

Witnesses:  None.