Report Title:

ERS; Allowance on Service Retirement; Police Radio Dispatchers

Description:

Provides police radio dispatchers with the same retirement benefits as police officers for service beginning after 12/31/93. Provides police radio dispatchers hired prior to 1/1/04, the option of converting to the enhanced class A beneficiary group. (SD1)

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

1126

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to allowance on service retirement.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Section 88-21, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new definition to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows:

""Police radio dispatcher": any regularly employed member of any county of the State whose principal duties are to conduct police call taking and radio dispatching."

SECTION 2. Section 88-45, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§88-45 Employee contributions. After June 30, 1988, each class A and class B member shall contribute seven and eight-tenths per cent of the member's compensation to the annuity savings fund; provided that after June 30, 1989, all firefighters, police officers, corrections officers, investigators of the departments of the prosecuting attorney and of the attorney general, narcotics enforcement investigators, water safety officers not making the election under section 88-271, [and] public safety investigations staff investigators, and police radio dispatchers, unless the police radio dispatcher has not opted to become a class A member pursuant to Act , Session Laws of Hawaii 2003, shall contribute twelve and two-tenths per cent of their compensation to the annuity savings fund for service in that capacity."

SECTION 3. Section 88-47, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

"(a) There shall be three classes of members in the system to be known as class A, class B, and class C, defined as follows:

(1) Class A shall consist of members covered by section 88-74(3) and (4), those members whose salaries are set forth in sections 26-52 and 26-53, and their county counterparts, managing directors or administrative assistant to the mayor, and other department heads, including agency heads appointed by the mayor, first deputies appointed by the county attorney and prosecuting attorney, the county clerk and deputy county clerk of each county, the administrative director of the courts, the deputy administrative director of the courts, the executive director of the labor and industrial relations appeals board, the executive director of the Hawaii labor relations board, investigators of the department of the attorney general, narcotics enforcement investigators, water safety officers not making the election under section 88-271, public safety investigations staff investigators, police radio dispatchers, and those members in service prior to July 1, 1984, including those who are on approved leave of absence, who are covered by Title II of the Social Security Act on account of service creditable under this part. This class shall consist of:

(A) All employees who enter membership after June 30, 1957, except employees in positions to which coverage under Title II of the Social Security Act is not extended;

(B) All employees who were members on July 1, 1957, who elected to be covered by the Social Security Act; and

(C) All former class A retirants who return to employment after June 30, 1984, requiring the retirant's active membership;

(2) Class B shall consist of all members who are not class A or class C members; and

(3) Except for members described in paragraph (1), class C shall consist of all employees in positions covered by Title II of the Social Security Act who:

(A) First enter service after June 30, 1984;

(B) Reenter service after June 30, 1984, without vested benefit status as provided in section 88-96(b);

(C) Make the election to become a class C member as provided in part VII; or

(D) Are former class C retirants who return to service requiring the retirant's active membership[.];

(E) Any police radio dispatcher who elected not to become a class A member pursuant to Act , Session Laws of Hawaii 2003."

SECTION 4. Section 88-74, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§88-74 Allowance on service retirement. Upon retirement from service, a member shall receive a retirement allowance as follows:

(1) If the member has attained age fifty-five, a retirement allowance of two per cent of the member's average final compensation multiplied by the total number of years of the member's credited service as a class A and B member, excluding any credited service as a judge, elective officer, or legislative officer, plus a retirement allowance of one and one-fourth per cent of the member's average final compensation multiplied by the total number of years of prior credited service as a class C member; provided that:

(A) After June 30, 1968, if the member has at least ten years of credited service of which the last five or more years prior to retirement is credited service as a firefighter, police officer, or an investigator of the department of the prosecuting attorney;

(B) After June 30, 1977, if the member has at least ten years of credited service of which the last five or more years prior to retirement is credited service as a corrections officer;

(C) After June 16, 1981, if the member has at least ten years of credited service of which the last five or more years prior to retirement is credited service as an investigator of the department of the attorney general;

(D) After June 30, 1989, if the member has at least ten years of credited service of which the last five or more years prior to retirement is credited service as a narcotics enforcement investigator;

(E) After December 31, 1993, if the member has at least ten years of credited service of which the last five or more years prior to retirement is credited service as a water safety officer;

(F) After June 30, 1994, if the member has at least ten years of credited service, of which the last five or more years prior to retirement are credited service as a public safety investigations staff investigator; [and]

(G) After June 30, 2002, if the member has at least ten years of credited service as a firefighter, and is deemed permanently medically disqualified due to a service related disability to be a firefighter by the employer's physician, and continues employment in a class A or B position other than a firefighter; and

(H) After December 31, 2003, if the member has at least ten years of credited service of which the last five or more years prior to retirement is credited service as a police radio dispatcher;

then for each year of service as a firefighter, police officer, corrections officer, investigator of the department of the prosecuting attorney, investigator of the department of the attorney general, narcotics enforcement investigator, water safety officer, police radio dispatcher, or public safety investigations staff investigator, the retirement allowance shall be two and one-half per cent of the member's average final compensation. The maximum retirement allowance for those members shall not exceed eighty per cent of the member's average final compensation. If the member has not attained age fifty-five, the member's retirement allowance shall be computed as though the member had attained age fifty-five, reduced in accordance with factors of actuarial equivalence adopted by the board upon the advice of the actuary; provided that no reduction shall be made if the member has at least twenty-five years of credited service as a firefighter, police officer, police radio dispatcher, corrections officer, investigator of the department of the prosecuting attorney, investigator of the department of the attorney general, narcotics enforcement investigator, public safety investigations staff investigator, sewer worker, or water safety officer, of which the last five or more years prior to retirement is credited service in [such] those capacities;

(2) If the member has made voluntary additional contributions for the purchase of an additional annuity and has not applied for a refund as permitted by section 88-72, the member may accept the refund at the time of retirement or, in lieu thereof, receive in addition to the retirement allowance provided in paragraph (1), an annuity that is the actuarial equivalent of the additional contributions with regular interest;

(3) If the member has credited service as a judge, the member's retirement allowance shall be computed on the following basis:

(A) For a member who has credited service as a judge before July 1, 1999, irrespective of age, for each year of credited service as a judge, three and one-half per cent of the member's average final compensation in addition to an annuity that is the actuarial equivalent of the member's accumulated contributions allocable to the period of [such] service[;] as a judge; and

(B) For a member who first earned credited service as a judge after June 30, 1999, for each year of credited service as a judge, three and one-half per cent of the member's average final compensation in addition to an annuity that is the actuarial equivalent of the member's accumulated contributions allocable to the period of [such] service[.] as a judge. If the member has not attained age fifty-five, the member's retirement allowance shall be computed as though the member had attained age fifty-five, reduced in accordance with factors of actuarial equivalence adopted by the board upon the advice of the actuary; or

(C) For a judge with other credited service, as provided in paragraphs (1) and (2). If the member has not attained age fifty-five, the member's retirement allowance shall be computed as though the member had attained age fifty-five, reduced in accordance with factors of actuarial equivalence adopted by the board upon the advice of the actuary; or

(D) For a judge with credited service as an elective officer or as a legislative officer, as provided in paragraph (4).

No allowance shall exceed seventy-five per cent of the member's average final compensation. If the allowance exceeds this limit, it shall be adjusted by reducing the annuity included in subparagraphs (A) and (B) and the portion of the accumulated contributions specified in the subparagraphs in excess of the requirements of the reduced annuity shall be returned to the member. The allowance for judges under this paragraph, together with the retirement allowance provided by the federal government for similar service, shall in no case exceed seventy-five per cent of the member's average final compensation; or

(4) If the member has credited service as an elective officer or as a legislative officer, the member's retirement allowance shall be derived by adding the allowances computed separately under subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) as follows:

(A) Irrespective of age, for each year of credited service as an elective officer, three and one-half per cent of the member's average final compensation as computed under section 88-81(d)(1), in addition to an annuity that is the actuarial equivalent of the member's accumulated contributions allocable to the period of service; and

(B) Irrespective of age, for each year of credited service as a legislative officer, three and one-half per cent of the member's average final compensation as computed under section 88-81(d)(2), in addition to an annuity that is the actuarial equivalent of the member's accumulated contributions allocable to the period of service;

(C) If the member has credited service as a judge, the member's retirement allowance shall be computed on the following basis:

(i) For a member who has credited service as a judge before July 1, 1999, irrespective of age, for each year of credited service as a judge, three and one-half per cent of the member's average final compensation as computed under section 88-81(d)(3), in addition to an annuity that is the actuarial equivalent of the member's accumulated contributions allocable to the period of [such] service[;] as a judge; and

(ii) For a member who first earned credited service as a judge after June 30, 1999, and has attained the age of fifty-five, for each year of credited service as a judge, three and one-half per cent of the member's average final compensation as computed under section 88-81(d)(3), in addition to an annuity that is the actuarial equivalent of the member's accumulated contributions allocable to the period of [such] service[.] as a judge. If the member has not attained age fifty-five, the member's retirement allowance shall be computed as though the member had attained age fifty-five, reduced in accordance with factors of actuarial equivalence adopted by the board upon the advice of the actuary; and

(D) For each year of credited service not included in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C), the average final compensation as computed under section 88-81(d)(4) shall be multiplied by two per cent, two and one-half per cent, or one and one-quarter per cent, as applicable to the credited service earned as a class A, B, or C member, respectively. If the member has not attained age fifty-five, the member's retirement allowance shall be computed as though the member had attained age fifty-five, reduced in accordance with factors of actuarial equivalence adopted by the board upon the advice of the actuary.

The total retirement allowance shall not exceed seventy-five per cent of the member's highest average final compensation calculated under section 88-81(d)(1), (2), (3), or (4). If the allowance exceeds this limit, it shall be adjusted by reducing any annuity accrued under subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) and the portion of the accumulated contributions specified in these subparagraphs in excess of the requirements of the reduced annuity shall be returned to the member. If a member has service credit as an elective officer or as a legislative officer in addition to service credit as a judge, then the retirement benefit calculation contained in this paragraph shall supersede the formula contained in paragraph (3)."

SECTION 5. (a) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, police radio dispatchers who are in service prior to January 1, 2004, may elect to convert their existing class A or class C membership to the class A membership status provided for in this Act; provided that the service credit of any member electing such a conversion earned before January 1, 2004, shall remain at the class level in which the service credit was earned. An election indicating the option selected shall be filed with the board of trustees prior to October 1, 2003. The election filed with the board of trustees shall be irrevocable.

(b) All police radio dispatchers hired after December 31, 2004, shall be designated as class A members of the employees' retirement system.

SECTION 6. The revisor of statutes shall insert the number of this Act after the word "Act" in sections 88-45 and 88-47(a)(3)(E), Hawaii Revised Statutes.

SECTION 7. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 8. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.