FINAL BILL REPORT

SB 6379

C 269 L 02

Synopsis as Enacted

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

Sponsors:  Senators Carlson, Winsley, Jacobsen, Fraser, Regala, Rasmussen, McAuliffe and Hale; by request of Joint Committee on Pension Policy.

Senate Committee on Ways & Means

House Committee on Appropriations

Background:  Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers (CVEOs) are considered "special deputies," and are appointed by the Chief of the Washington State Patrol (WSP).  CVEOs are "limited authority" officers who have enforcement duties in the arena of commercial vehicles and school bus or private carrier buses.  Their primary function is to inspect private commercial vehicles and school buses, ensuring that regulations regarding vehicle weight, size, and licensure are appropriate and in compliance with state law.  Because they are limited authority officers they are not commissioned and, therefore, are not members of the Washington State Patrol Retirement System (WSPRS).  Instead, they are members of the Public Employees Retirement System Plan 2 (PERS 2).

There are two types of CVEOs:  those who are at fixed scales and are unarmed, and those who carry arms and are responsible for a particular jurisdiction rather than a fixed location.  The 2000 supplemental transportation budget appropriated funds allowing up to 30 CVEOs to complete the WSP Academy training and become commissioned officers.  As commissioned officers, they are automatically members of WSPRS.  This means that, although their past service is currently in PERS 2, all future service credit earned by these commissioned officers will be earned within the WSPRS.

Summary:  CVEO members of PERS 2 who chose to take additional WSP Academy training and become fully commissioned officers are provided the option to leave earlier service credit and contributions in PERS 2 and receive benefits in both PERS 2 and WSPRS, or to transfer their contributions and service credit earned as CVEOs to WSPRS.  If the officer elects to transfer all service credit and contributions to WSPRS, the officer must pay the difference between employee and employer contributions made to PERS 2 and those which would have been paid to WSPRS, inclusive of interest.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate470

House923

Effective:  June 13, 2002