Z‑0336.1   _____________________________________________

 

SENATE BILL 5142

 

           _____________________________________________

 

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

 

By Senators Winsley, Long, Fraser, Franklin, Honeyford, Carlson and Kohl‑Welles; by request of Joint Committee on Pension Policy

 

Read first time 01/12/2001.  Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

_1      AN ACT Relating to continuing law enforcement officers' and

_2  fire fighters' plan 1 split benefit payments to ex spouses of

_3  members pursuant to preretirement divorce orders made after July

_4  1, 2002; and amending RCW 41.26.162, 41.50.670, and 41.50.700.

     

_5  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

     

_6      Sec. 1.  RCW 41.26.162 and 1991 sp.s. c 12 s 2 are each amended to

_7  read as follows:

_8      (1)(a) An ex spouse of a law enforcement officers' and fire

_9  fighters' retirement system retiree shall qualify as surviving

10  spouse under RCW 41.26.160 if the ex spouse:

11      (((a))) (i) Has been provided benefits under any currently

12  effective court decree of dissolution or legal separation or in

13  any court order or court-approved property settlement agreement

14  incident to any court decree of dissolution or legal separation

15  entered after the member's retirement and prior to December 31,

16  1979; and

17      (((b))) (ii) Was married to the retiree for at least thirty

18  years, including at least twenty years prior to the member's

19  retirement or separation from service if a vested member.

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_1      (((2))) (b) If two or more persons are eligible for a surviving

_2  spouse benefit under this subsection, benefits shall be divided

_3  between the surviving spouses based on the percentage of total

_4  service credit the member accrued during each marriage.

_5      (((3))) (c) This subsection shall apply retroactively.

_6      (2)(a) An ex spouse of a law enforcement officers' and fire

_7  fighters' retirement system plan 1 retiree who:

_8      (i) Divorced the member before separation from service;

_9      (ii) Entered into the court order or court-approved property

10  settlement agreement incident to the divorce of the member and ex

11  spouse after July 1, 2002; and

12      (iii) Is awarded a portion of the member's benefits for the

13  life of the ex spouse;

14  may continue to receive that portion of the member's benefit after

15  the member's death as if the member was still alive if specified

16  in the court order or court-approved property settlement.

17      (b) This subsection shall not apply retroactively.

     

18      Sec. 2.  RCW 41.50.670 and 1998 c 341 s 513 are each amended to

19  read as follows:

20      (1) Nothing in this chapter regarding mandatory assignment of

21  benefits to enforce a spousal maintenance obligation shall abridge

22  the right of an obligee to direct payments of retirement benefits

23  to satisfy a property division obligation ordered pursuant to a

24  court decree of dissolution or legal separation or any court order

25  or court-approved property settlement agreement incident to any

26  court decree of dissolution or legal separation as provided in RCW

27  2.10.180, 2.12.090, 41.04.310, 41.04.320, 41.04.330, 41.26.053,

28  41.26.162, 41.32.052, 41.35.100, 41.34.070(((3))) (4), 41.40.052,

29  43.43.310, or 26.09.138, as those statutes existed before July 1,

30  1987, and as those statutes exist on and after July 28, 1991.  The

31  department shall pay benefits under this chapter in a lump sum or

32  as a portion of periodic retirement payments as expressly provided

33  by the dissolution order.  A dissolution order may not order the

34  department to pay a periodic retirement payment or lump sum unless

35  that payment is specifically authorized under the provisions of

36  chapter 2.10, 2.12, 41.26, 41.32, 41.35, 41.34, 41.40, or 43.43

37  RCW, as applicable.

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_1      (2) The department shall pay directly to an obligee the amount

_2  of periodic retirement payments or lump sum payment, as

_3  appropriate, specified in the dissolution order if the dissolution

_4  order filed with the department pursuant to subsection (1) of this

_5  section includes a provision that states in the following form:

_6      If . . . . . . (the obligor) receives periodic retirement payments

_7  as defined in RCW 41.50.500, the department of retirement systems

_8  shall pay to . . . . . . (the obligee) . . . . . . dollars from such

_9  payments or . . . percent of such payments.  If the obligor's debt

10  is expressed as a percentage of his or her periodic retirement

11  payment and the obligee does not have a survivorship interest in

12  the obligor's benefit, the amount received by the obligee shall be

13  the percentage of the periodic retirement payment that the obligor

14  would have received had he or she selected a standard allowance.

15      If . . . . . . (the obligor) requests or has requested a withdrawal

16  of accumulated contributions as defined in RCW 41.50.500, or

17  becomes eligible for a lump sum death benefit, the department of

18  retirement systems shall pay to . . . . . . (the obligee) . . . . . .

19  dollars plus interest at the rate paid by the department of

20  retirement systems on member contributions.  Such interest to

21  accrue from the date of this order's entry with the court of

22  record.

23      (3) This section does not require a member to select a standard

24  allowance upon retirement nor does it require the department to

25  recalculate the amount of a retiree's periodic retirement payment

26  based on a change in survivor option.

27      (4) A court order under this section may not order the

28  department to pay more than seventy-five percent of an obligor's

29  periodic retirement payment to an obligee.

30      (5) Persons whose court decrees were entered between July 1,

31  1987, and July 28, 1991, shall also be entitled to receive direct

32  payments of retirement benefits to satisfy court-ordered property

33  divisions if the dissolution orders comply or are modified to

34  comply with this section and RCW 41.50.680 through 41.50.720 and,

35  as applicable, RCW 2.10.180, 2.12.090, 41.26.053, 41.32.052,

36  41.35.100, 41.34.070, 41.40.052, 43.43.310, and 26.09.138.

37      (6) The obligee must file a copy of the dissolution order with

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_1  the department within ninety days of that order's entry with the

_2  court of record.

_3      (7) A division of benefits pursuant to a dissolution order

_4  under this section shall be based upon the obligor's gross benefit

_5  prior to any deductions.  If the department is required to

_6  withhold a portion of the member's benefit pursuant to 26 U.S.C.

_7  Sec. 3402 and the sum of that amount plus the amount owed to the

_8  obligee exceeds the total benefit, the department shall satisfy

_9  the withholding requirements under 26 U.S.C. Sec. 3402 and then

10  pay the remainder to the obligee.  The provisions of this

11  subsection do not apply to amounts withheld pursuant to 26 U.S.C.

12  Sec. 3402(i).

     

13      Sec. 3.  RCW 41.50.700 and 1991 c 365 s 16 are each amended to read

14  as follows:

15      (1) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, the

16  department's obligation to provide direct payment of a property

17  division obligation to an obligee under RCW 41.50.670 shall cease

18  upon the death of the obligee or upon the death of the obligor,

19  whichever comes first.  However, if an obligor dies and is

20  eligible for a lump sum death benefit, the department shall be

21  obligated to provide direct payment to the obligee of all or a

22  portion of the withdrawal of accumulated contributions pursuant to

23  a court order that complies with RCW 41.50.670.

24      (2) The direct payment of a property division obligation to an

25  obligee under RCW 41.50.670 shall be paid as a deduction from the

26  member's periodic retirement payment.  An obligee may not direct

27  the department to withhold any funds from such payment.

28      (3) The department's obligation to provide direct payment

29  continues for the life of an ex spouse from a preretirement

30  divorce meeting the criteria of RCW 41.26.162(2).

 

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