FINAL BILL REPORT

                 SHB 1595

                     Synopsis as Enacted

                         C 319 L 93

Brief Description:  Concerning elected officials as members of the public employee retirement system.

By House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Bray, Ballard, Peery, Ludwig, Locke, Finkbeiner and J. Kohl).

House Committee on Appropriations

Senate Committee on Ways & Means

Background:  Elected officials have the option of applying for membership in the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) during their term of office.  In some cases, an elected official in PERS can retire and begin to receive a pension while remaining as an elected official.  The member signs a statement agreeing to forgo any claim for service credit in PERS for future periods of time as an elected official.

However, the ability for PERS members to retire but continue serving in an elective office applies only to elected officials of towns or cities, and only to those whose compensation as an elected official is less than $10,000 a year.

Summary:  The ability for members of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) who are in an elective office to retire but continue serving in the elective office is extended to any elected official, not just to those from towns or cities.  This ability is limited to those whose compensation as elected officials at the time of their retirement is less than $15,000 annually.  This amount will be adjusted annually for inflation by the director of the Department of Retirement Systems.

Votes on Final Passage:

House  98 0

Senate 42 2

Effective:  July 25, 1993