STATE OF OKLAHOMA

1st Session of the 52nd Legislature (2009)

SENATE BILL 1245	By:	Corn

AS INTRODUCED

An Act relating to retirement; amending 11 O.S. 2001, Section 50-101, as last amended by Section 1, Chapter 137, O.S.L. 2003 (11 O.S. Supp. 2008, Section 50-101), which relates to the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System; modifying definitions; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     11 O.S. 2001, Section 50-101, as last amended by Section 1, Chapter 137, O.S.L. 2003 (11 O.S. Supp. 2008, Section 50-101), is amended to read as follows:
Section 50-101.  As used in this article:
1.  "System" means the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System and all predecessor municipal Police Pension and Retirement Systems;
2.  "Article" means Article 50 of this title;
3.  "State Board" means the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement Board;
4.  "Fund" means the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement Fund;
5.  "Officer" means any duly appointed and sworn full-time officer of the regular police department of a municipality whose duties are to preserve the public peace, protect life and property, prevent crime, serve warrants, enforce all laws and municipal ordinances of this state, and any political subdivision thereof, and who is authorized to bear arms in the execution of such duties;
6.  "Member" means all eligible officers of a participating municipality and effective July 1, 2009, county sheriff’s office and any person hired by a participating municipality or county sheriff’s office who is undergoing police training to become a permanent police officer of the municipality or deputy of the county sheriff’s office.  Effective July 1, 1987, a member does not include a "leased employee" as defined under Section 414(n)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.  Effective July 1, ~~1999~~ 2009, any individual who agrees with the participating municipality or the county sheriff’s office that the individual’s services are to be performed as a leased employee or an independent contractor shall not be a member regardless of any classification as a common law employee by the Internal Revenue Service or any other governmental agency, or any court of competent jurisdiction.  A member shall include eligible commissioned officers of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission who elect to participate in the System pursuant to Section 50-111.5 of this title;
7.  "Normal retirement date" means the date at which the member is eligible to receive the unreduced payments of the member's accrued retirement benefit.  Such date shall be the first day of the month coinciding with or following the date the member completes twenty (20) years of credited service.  If the member's employment continues past the normal retirement date of the member, the actual retirement date of the member shall be the first day of the month after the member terminates employment with more than twenty (20) years of credited service;
8.  "Credited service" means the period of service used to determine the eligibility for and the amount of benefits payable to a member.  Credited service shall consist of the period during which the member participated in the System or the predecessor municipal systems as an active employee in an eligible membership classification, plus any service prior to the establishment of the predecessor municipal systems which was credited under the predecessor municipal systems or credited service granted by the State Board;
9.  "Participating municipality" means a municipality or county sheriff’s office which is making contributions to the System on behalf of its officers.  The Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission shall be treated in the same manner as a participating municipality only regarding those members who elect to participate in the System pursuant to Section 50-111.5 of this title;
10.  "Permanent total disability" means incapacity due to accidental injury or occupational disease, to earn any wages in the employment for which the member is physically suited and reasonably fitted through education, training or experience.  Further, the member must be declared one hundred percent (100%) impaired as defined by the "American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment" on the basis of a physical medical examination by a physician licensed to practice medicine in this state, as selected by the State Board;
11.  "Permanent partial disability" means permanent disability which is less than permanent total disability as defined in this section.  The member must be declared no greater than ninety-nine percent (99%) impaired as defined by the "American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment" on the basis of a physical medical examination by a physician licensed to practice medicine in this state, as selected by the State Board;
12.  "Permanent in-line disability" means incapacity to earn any wages as a certified, commissioned police officer due to accidental injury or occupational disease, incurred while in, and in consequence of, the performance of duty as an officer;
13.  "Beneficiary" means a member's surviving spouse or any surviving children, including biological and adopted children, at the time of the member's death.  The surviving spouse must have been married to the member for the thirty (30) continuous months immediately preceding the member's death, provided a surviving spouse of a member who died while in, and as a consequence of, the performance of the member's duty for a participating municipality, shall not be subject to the thirty-month marriage requirement for survivor benefits.  A surviving child of a member shall be a beneficiary until reaching eighteen (18) years of age or twenty-two (22) years of age if the child is enrolled full time and regularly attending a public or private school or any institution of higher education.  Any child adopted by a member after the member's retirement shall be a beneficiary only if the child is adopted by the member for the thirty (30) continuous months preceding the member's death.  Any child who is adopted by a member after the member's retirement and such member dies accidentally or as a consequence of the performance of the member's duty as a police officer shall not be subject to the thirty-month adoption requirement.  This definition of beneficiary shall be in addition to any other requirement set forth in this article;
14.  "Executive Director" means the managing officer of the System employed by the State Board;
15.  "Eligible employer" means any municipality with a municipal police department or any county sheriff’s department;
16.  "Entry date" means the date as of which an eligible employer joins the System.  The first entry date pursuant to this article shall be January 1, 1981;
17.  "Final average salary" means the average paid base salary of the member for normally scheduled hours over the highest salaried thirty (30) consecutive months of the last sixty (60) months of credited service.
a.	Base salary shall not include payment for accumulated sick and annual leave upon termination of employment or any uniform allowances.  Provided, for purposes of determining the normal disability benefit, final average salary shall be based on the member's total service if less than thirty (30) months.  Base salary shall include any amount of elective salary reduction under Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any amount of nonelective salary reduction under Section 414(h) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.  Effective January 1, 1988, base salary shall include any amount of elective salary reduction under Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.  Effective July 1, 1998, gross salary shall include any amount of elective salary reduction not includable in the gross income of the member under Section 132(f)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.  Only salary on which required contributions have been made may be used in computing the final average salary.
b.	In addition to other applicable limitations, and notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, for plan years beginning on or after July 1, 2002, the annual compensation of each "Noneligible Member" taken into account under the System shall not exceed the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA) annual compensation limit.  The EGTRRA annual compensation limit is Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00), as adjusted by the Commissioner for increases in the cost of living in accordance with Section 401(a)(17)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.  The annual compensation limit in effect for a calendar year applies to any period, not exceeding twelve (12) months, over which compensation is determined ("determination period") beginning in such calendar year.  If a determination period consists of fewer than twelve (12) months, the EGTRRA annual compensation limit will be multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of months in the determination period, and the denominator of which is twelve (12).  For purposes of this section, a "Noneligible Member" is any member who first became a member during a plan year commencing on or after July 1, 1996.
c.	For plan years beginning on or after July 1, 2002, any reference in the System to the annual compensation limit under Section 401(a)(17) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, shall mean the EGTRRA annual compensation limit set forth in this provision;
18.  "Accrued retirement benefit" means two and one-half percent (2 1/2%) of the member's final average salary multiplied by the member's years of credited service not to exceed thirty (30) years;
19.  "Normal disability benefit" means two and one-half percent (2 1/2%) of the member's final average salary multiplied by twenty (20) years;
20.  "Limitation year" means the year used in applying the limitations of Section 415 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which year shall be the calendar year;
21.  "Paid base salary" means, effective May 1, 2002, all compensation that shall include longevity, educational allowances, and normal compensation paid on a regularly scheduled pay period of which said pay period shall include holidays, annual leave and sick leave.  Paid base salary shall not include overtime, shall not include payment for accumulated sick and annual leave upon termination of employment, and shall not include any uniform allowance or any other compensation for reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses; and
22.  “Actuarial equivalent” means equality in value of the aggregate amounts expected to be received based on interest rate and mortality assumptions set by the State Board, in a manner that precludes employer discretion, and based upon recommendations from independent professional advisors, and which shall be published annually in the actuarial report.
SECTION 2.  This act shall become effective July 1, 2009.
SECTION 3.  It being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is hereby declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and be in full force from and after its passage and approval.

52-1-1541	ARE	1/21/2009 2:48:03 PM