SENATE BILL REPORT

                                   SHB 1721

            AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS, APRIL 4, 1991

Brief Description:  Refunding contributions to the judicial retirement system.

SPONSORS:House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives May and Locke).

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Majority Report:  Do pass.

      Signed by Senators McDonald, Chairman; Craswell, Vice Chairman; Bailey, Bauer, Bluechel, Gaspard, Johnson, L. Kreidler, Metcalf, Murray, Newhouse, Niemi, Owen, Rinehart, L. Smith, Talmadge, West, and Williams. 

Staff:  Denise Graham (786‑7715)

Hearing Dates:April 2, 1991; April 4, 1991

BACKGROUND:

Judges elected or appointed to the superior court, Court of Appeals, or Supreme Court prior to August 9, 1971, were members of the Judges' Retirement System.  Those elected or appointed between August 9, 1971, and July 1, 1988, are members of the Judicial Retirement System.  Since July 1, 1988, newly elected or appointed judges become members of the Public Employees' Retirement System. 

The Judges' Retirement System requires at least 12 years of service before pension eligibility was attained.  The Judicial Retirement System requires at least ten years of service.  Member contributions were forfeited if the member terminated, died, or became disabled prior to being vested. 

According to the office of the State Actuary, there are about 12 judges who are not entitled to a benefit and whose contributions have not been returned.  Numerous claims for return of contributions have been made through the sundry claims process but only two claims are known to have been paid.

SUMMARY:

A judge who was a member of either the Judges' or Judicial Retirement System, or the surviving spouse of such a judge, may apply for and receive a refund of the judge's contributions to the system if:  (1) the judge left the system before July 1, 1988; (2) the judge was not eligible to receive a pension benefit from the system; and (3) neither the spouse nor the judge received an amount under a sundry claims appropriations intended as a refund of the judge's retirement contributions.

If funds are not provided in the operating budget specifically for this act, the act is null and void.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  available

TESTIMONY FOR:  None

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  No one