A bill

to amend the South Carolina Code of Laws by amending Section 9-11-90, relating to the effect of restoring police officers retirement system beneficiary to service, so as to increase the amount of time a beneficiary must be retired before returning to work from thirty to ninety days and to remove the earnings limitation.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 9-11-90(4)(a) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

(4)(a)(i) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (1) and (2) of this section, a retired member of the system who has been retired for at least thirty ninety consecutive calendar days may be hired and return to employment covered by this system or any system provided in this title and may earn up to ten thousand dollars without affecting the monthly retirement allowance the member is receiving from this system. If the retired member continues in service after having earned ten thousand dollars in a calendar year, the member's retirement allowance must be discontinued during the member's period of service in the remainder of the calendar year. If the employment continues for at least forty-eight consecutive months, the provisions of Section 9-11-90(3) apply. If a retired member of the system returns to employment covered by the South Carolina Police Officers Retirement System or any other system provided in this title sooner than thirty ninety consecutive calendar days after retirement, the member's retirement allowance is suspended while the member remains employed by a participating employer of any of these systems. If an employer fails to notify the system of the engagement of a retired member to perform services, the employer shall reimburse the system for all benefits wrongly paid to the retired member.

(ii) The earnings limitation imposed pursuant to this item does not apply if the member meets at least one of the following qualifications:

(A) the member retired before January 2, 2013;

(B) the member has attained the age of fifty-seven years at retirement; or

(C) compensation received by the retired member from the covered employer is for service in a public office filled by the appointment of the Governor and with confirmation by the Senate, by appointment or election by the General Assembly, or by election of the qualified electors of the applicable jurisdiction.

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

XX