HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1719

BYRepresentatives Hine, Silver and D. Sommers; by request of  Department of Retirement Systems

Providing for disposition of excess retirement benefits upon death of the recipient.

House Committe on Appropriations

Majority Report:  Do pass.  (23)

      Signed by Representatives Locke, Chair; Grant, Vice Chair; H. Sommers, Vice Chair; Silver, Ranking Republican Member; Youngsman, Assistant Ranking Republican Member; Appelwick, Belcher, Bowman, Braddock, Brekke, Bristow, Dorn, Ebersole, Hine, May, Nealey, Peery, Rust, Sayan, Spanel, Sprenkle, Valle and Wineberry.

House Staff:Randy Acker (786-7136)

AS PASSED HOUSE MARCH 13, 1989

BACKGROUND:

Persons who retire on a service retirement under Plan II provisions of the Public Employee's Retirement System, Teachers' Retirement System, and Law Enforcement Officers and Fire Fighters Retirement System, may choose from several options of how their benefit is paid out.  If they select the single life option and die before the total allowance paid to them equals the value of their accumulated contributions, a refund of the balance of their accumulated contributions is made either to a person designated by the retiree or to the estate.

For persons who retire on an earned disability, current law does not provide for any refund of accumulated contributions if the person dies prior to recovering earned disability payments equal to the value of accumulated contributions.  Accumulations are retained by the retirement system.

Accumulated contributions are the monies contributed by the employee during active employment, plus interest.

SUMMARY:

Language is added to provide for a refund of the balance of accumulated contributions for Plan II earned disability retirees, if the retiree dies before the earned disability payments equal the value of accumulated contributions.  This applies to members of the Public Employee's Retirement System, Teachers' Retirement System, and Law Enforcement Officers and Fire Fighters Retirement System.

Fiscal Note:      Available

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Sheryl Wilson, Department of Retirement Systems.

House Committee - Testified Against:      None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    This change will correct the inequity that currently exists between service and earned disability provisions in Plan II and will provide for a fair and standard treatment of members' contributions.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.