BILL REQ. #:  Z-0384.1 

Read first time 01/18/11.   Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

     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 communications officers and then became commissioned troopers in the Washington state patrol; 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 under the subchapter heading "plan 2" 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 either (a) a commercial vehicle enforcement officer who then became a commissioned officer on or before July 1, 2000, or (b) a communications officer who then became a commissioned officer, have the following options:
     (i) Remain a member of the public employees' retirement system; or
     (ii) Transfer service credit earned under the retirement system as a communications officer or 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 that employee; and
     (ii) All applicable months of service as a communications officer or 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 that 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, 2019, 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 that 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 a case, the employee's accumulated contributions plus interest transferred under this subsection, and any payments made under this subsection, shall be refunded to the employee. The employer shall be entitled to a credit for the employer contributions transferred under 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 communications officer or commercial vehicle enforcement officer.