Z-1137.3  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2392

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2002 Regular Session

By Representatives Delvin, Doumit, Alexander, Morell, Eickmeyer, Linville, Lovick, Haigh and Esser; by request of Joint Committee on Pension Policy

Read first time 01/16/2002.  Referred to Committee on Appropriations.

Transferring service credit and contributions into the Washington state patrol retirement system.

    AN ACT Relating to transferring service credit and contributions into the Washington state patrol retirement system by members who served as commercial vehicle enforcement officers and who became commissioned officers in the Washington state patrol after July 1, 2000, and prior to June 30, 2001; and adding a new section to chapter 41.40 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 41.40 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) Active members of the Washington state patrol retirement system who have previously established service credit in the public employees' retirement system plan 2 while employed in the state patrol as a commercial vehicle enforcement officer, and who became a commissioned officer after July 1, 2000, and prior to June 30, 2001, have the following options:

    (a) Remain a member of the public employees' retirement system; or

    (b) Transfer service credit earned under the retirement system as a commercial vehicle enforcement officer to the Washington state patrol retirement system by making an irrevocable choice filed in writing with the department of retirement systems within one year of the department's announcement of the ability to make such a transfer.

    (2)(a) Any commissioned officer choosing to transfer under this section shall have transferred from the retirement system to the Washington state patrol retirement system:

    (i) All the employee's applicable accumulated contributions plus interest, and an equal amount of employer contributions attributed to such employee; and

    (ii) All applicable months of service as a commercial vehicle enforcement officer credited to the employee under this chapter as though that service was rendered as a member of the Washington state patrol retirement system.

    (b) For the applicable period of service, the employee shall pay:     (i) The difference between the contributions the employee paid to the retirement system, and the contributions which would have been paid by the employee had the employee been a member of the Washington state patrol retirement system, plus interest as determined by the director.  This payment shall be made no later than December 31, 2010, or the date of retirement, whichever comes first;

    (ii) The difference between the employer contributions paid to the public employees' retirement system, and the employer contributions which would have been payable to the Washington state patrol retirement system; and

    (iii) An amount sufficient to ensure that the funding status of the Washington state patrol retirement system will not change due to this transfer.

    (c) If the payment required by this subsection is not paid in full by the deadline, the transferred service credit shall not be used to determine eligibility for benefits nor to calculate benefits under the Washington state patrol retirement system.  In such case, the additional employee and employer contributions transferred under this subsection, and any payments made under this subsection, shall be refunded to the employee, and the employer shall be entitled to a credit for the payments made under (a) of this subsection.

    (d) An individual who transfers service credit and contributions under this subsection is permanently excluded from the public employees' retirement system for all service as a commercial vehicle enforcement officer.

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