BILL REQ. #:  Z-1157.1 

Read first time 01/23/2006.   Referred to Committee on Appropriations.

     AN ACT Relating to benefits for surviving spouses of disabled Washington state patrol officers; and amending RCW 43.43.270 and 41.45.0631.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 43.43.270 and 2002 c 158 s 15 are each amended to read as follows:
     For members commissioned prior to January 1, 2003:
     (1) The normal form of retirement allowance shall be an allowance which shall continue as long as the member lives.
     (2) If a member should die while in service the member's lawful spouse shall be paid an allowance which shall be equal to fifty percent of the average final salary of the member. If the member should die after retirement the member's lawful spouse shall be paid an allowance which shall be equal to the retirement allowance then payable to the member or fifty percent of the final average salary used in computing the member's retirement allowance, whichever is less. The allowance paid to the lawful spouse shall continue as long as the spouse lives: PROVIDED, That if a surviving spouse who is receiving benefits under this subsection marries another member of this retirement system who subsequently predeceases such spouse, the spouse shall then be entitled to receive the higher of the two survivors' allowances for which eligibility requirements were met, but a surviving spouse shall not receive more than one survivor's allowance from this system at the same time under this subsection. To be eligible for an allowance the lawful surviving spouse of a retired member shall have been married to the member prior to the member's retirement and continuously thereafter until the date of the member's death or shall have been married to the retired member at least two years prior to the member's death. The allowance paid to the lawful spouse may be divided with an ex spouse of the member by a dissolution order as defined in RCW 41.50.500(3) incident to a divorce occurring after July 1, 2002. The dissolution order must specifically divide both the member's benefit and any spousal survivor benefit, and must fully comply with RCW 41.50.670 and 41.50.700.
     (3) If a member should die, either while in service or after retirement, the member's surviving unmarried children under the age of eighteen years shall be provided for in the following manner:
     (a) If there is a surviving spouse, each child shall be entitled to a benefit equal to five percent of the final average salary of the member or retired member. The combined benefits to the surviving spouse and all children shall not exceed sixty percent of the final average salary of the member or retired member; and
     (b) If there is no surviving spouse or the spouse should die, the child or children shall be entitled to a benefit equal to thirty percent of the final average salary of the member or retired member for one child and an additional ten percent for each additional child. The combined benefits to the children under this subsection shall not exceed sixty percent of the final average salary of the member or retired member. Payments under this subsection shall be prorated equally among the children, if more than one.
     (4) If a member should die in the line of duty while employed by the Washington state patrol, the member's surviving children under the age of twenty years and eleven months if attending any high school, college, university, or vocational or other educational institution accredited or approved by the state of Washington shall be provided for in the following manner:
     (a) If there is a surviving spouse, each child shall be entitled to a benefit equal to five percent of the final average salary of the member. The combined benefits to the surviving spouse and all children shall not exceed sixty percent of the final average salary of the member;
     (b) If there is no surviving spouse or the spouse should die, the unmarried child or children shall be entitled to receive a benefit equal to thirty percent of the final average salary of the member or retired member for one child and an additional ten percent for each additional child. The combined benefits to the children under this subsection shall not exceed sixty percent of the final average salary. Payments under this subsection shall be prorated equally among the children, if more than one; and
     (c) If a beneficiary under this subsection reaches the age of twenty-one years during the middle of a term of enrollment the benefit shall continue until the end of that term.
     (5)(a) The provisions of this section shall apply to members who have been retired on disability as provided in RCW 43.43.040 if the officer was a member of the Washington state patrol retirement system at the time of such disability retirement.
     (b) For the purposes of this subsection, average final salary as used in subsection (2) of this section means:
     (i) For members commissioned prior to January 1, 2003, the average monthly salary received by active members of the patrol of the rank at which the member became disabled, during the two years prior to the death of the disabled member; and
     (ii) For members commissioned on or after January 1, 2003, the average monthly salary received by active members of the patrol of the rank at which the member became disabled, during the five years prior to the death of the disabled member.

Sec. 2   RCW 41.45.0631 and 2001 c 329 s 11 are each amended to read as follows:
     Beginning July 1, 2001, the required contribution rate for members of the Washington state patrol retirement system shall be two percent or equal to the employer rate adopted under RCW 41.45.060 and 41.45.070 for the Washington state patrol retirement system, whichever is greater. The employee contribution rate shall not, however, include any increase as a result of distributions under RCW 43.43.270(2) for survivors of members who became disabled under RCW 43.43.040(2) prior to July 1, 2006.