Senate Bill sb1266

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SB 1266

    By Senator Jones





    13-1197-05                                          See HB 563

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Florida Retirement

  3         System; amending s. 121.021, F.S.; defining the

  4         term "public school member"; amending s.

  5         121.091, F.S.; providing for calculation of

  6         retirement benefits payable to public school

  7         members; providing retroactive applicability;

  8         providing for funding of benefit increases for

  9         public school members; providing a finding of

10         important state interest; providing an

11         effective date.

12  

13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

14  

15         Section 1.  Subsection (62) is added to section

16  121.021, Florida Statutes, to read:

17         121.021  Definitions.--The following words and phrases

18  as used in this chapter have the respective meanings set forth

19  unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context:

20         (62)  "Public school member" means a member of the

21  Florida Retirement System Regular Class who is employed by a

22  district school system, a public charter school, or the

23  Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind.

24         Section 2.  Subsection (1) of section 121.091, Florida

25  Statutes, is amended to read:

26         121.091  Benefits payable under the system.--Benefits

27  may not be paid under this section unless the member has

28  terminated employment as provided in s. 121.021(39)(a) or

29  begun participation in the Deferred Retirement Option Program

30  as provided in subsection (13), and a proper application has

31  been filed in the manner prescribed by the department. The

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    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SB 1266
    13-1197-05                                          See HB 563




 1  department may cancel an application for retirement benefits

 2  when the member or beneficiary fails to timely provide the

 3  information and documents required by this chapter and the

 4  department's rules. The department shall adopt rules

 5  establishing procedures for application for retirement

 6  benefits and for the cancellation of such application when the

 7  required information or documents are not received.

 8         (1)  NORMAL RETIREMENT BENEFIT.--Upon attaining his or

 9  her normal retirement date, the member, upon application to

10  the administrator, shall receive a monthly benefit which shall

11  begin to accrue on the first day of the month of retirement

12  and be payable on the last day of that month and each month

13  thereafter during his or her lifetime. The normal retirement

14  benefit, including any past or additional retirement credit,

15  may not exceed 100 percent of the average final compensation.

16  The amount of monthly benefit shall be calculated as the

17  product of A and B, subject to the adjustment of C, if

18  applicable, as set forth below:

19         (a)1.a.  For creditable years of Regular Class service,

20  A is 1.60 percent of the member's average final compensation,

21  up to the member's normal retirement date. Upon completion of

22  the first year after the normal retirement date, A is 1.63

23  percent of the member's average final compensation. Following

24  the second year after the normal retirement date, A is 1.65

25  percent of the member's average final compensation. Following

26  the third year after the normal retirement date, and for

27  subsequent years, A is 1.68 percent of the member's average

28  final compensation.

29         b.  For creditable years of Regular Class service,

30  public school members shall have A determined under the

31  provisions of sub-subparagraph a. for service up to the

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    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SB 1266
    13-1197-05                                          See HB 563




 1  applicability date and according to the following table for

 2  service earned after the applicability date:

 3  

 4  Years of Regular Class Service        Benefit Accrual Rate 

 5           0-6                                  1.60%

 6           7-12                                 1.75%

 7           13-18                                1.90%

 8           Over 18                              2.10%

 9  

10  As used in this sub-subparagraph, the term "applicability

11  date" means July 1, 2006, adjusted as follows: for each year

12  of creditable service earned after the applicability date as a

13  public school member, 2 years will be subtracted from the

14  applicability date up to a maximum adjustment of 18 years.

15         2.  For creditable years of special risk service, A is:

16         a.  Two percent of the member's average final

17  compensation for all creditable years prior to October 1,

18  1974;

19         b.  Three percent of the member's average final

20  compensation for all creditable years after September 30,

21  1974, and before October 1, 1978;

22         c.  Two percent of the member's average final

23  compensation for all creditable years after September 30,

24  1978, and before January 1, 1989;

25         d.  Two and two-tenths percent of the member's final

26  monthly compensation for all creditable years after December

27  31, 1988, and before January 1, 1990;

28         e.  Two and four-tenths percent of the member's average

29  final compensation for all creditable years after December 31,

30  1989, and before January 1, 1991;

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SB 1266
    13-1197-05                                          See HB 563




 1         f.  Two and six-tenths percent of the member's average

 2  final compensation for all creditable years after December 31,

 3  1990, and before January 1, 1992;

 4         g.  Two and eight-tenths percent of the member's

 5  average final compensation for all creditable years after

 6  December 31, 1991, and before January 1, 1993;

 7         h.  Three percent of the member's average final

 8  compensation for all creditable years after December 31, 1992;

 9  and

10         i.  Three percent of the member's average final

11  compensation for all creditable years of service after

12  September 30, 1978, and before January 1, 1993, for any

13  special risk member who retires after July 1, 2000, or any

14  member of the Special Risk Administrative Support Class

15  entitled to retain the special risk normal retirement date who

16  was a member of the Special Risk Class during the time period

17  and who retires after July 1, 2000.

18         3.  For creditable years of Senior Management Service

19  Class service after January 31, 1987, A is 2 percent;

20         4.  For creditable years of Elected Officers' Class

21  service as a Supreme Court Justice, district court of appeal

22  judge, circuit judge, or county court judge, A is 3

23  1/3  percent of the member's average final compensation, and

24  for all other creditable service in such class, A is 3 percent

25  of average final compensation;

26         (b)  B is the number of the member's years and any

27  fractional part of a year of creditable service earned

28  subsequent to November 30, 1970; and

29         (c)  C is the normal retirement benefit credit brought

30  forward as of November 30, 1970, by a former member of an

31  existing system.  Such normal retirement benefit credit shall

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    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SB 1266
    13-1197-05                                          See HB 563




 1  be determined as the product of X and Y when X is the

 2  percentage of average final compensation which the member

 3  would have been eligible to receive if the member had attained

 4  his or her normal retirement date as of November 30, 1970, all

 5  in accordance with the existing system under which the member

 6  is covered on November 30, 1970, and Y is average final

 7  compensation as defined in s. 121.021(25).  However, any

 8  member of an existing retirement system who is eligible to

 9  retire and who does retire, become disabled, or die prior to

10  April 15, 1971, may have his or her retirement benefits

11  calculated on the basis of the best 5 of the last 10 years of

12  service.

13         (d)  A member's average final compensation shall be

14  determined by formula to obtain the coverage for the 5 highest

15  fiscal years' salaries, calculated as provided by rule.

16         Section 3.  It is the intent of the Legislature that

17  costs attributable to benefit increases for public school

18  members of the Florida Retirement System Regular Class shall

19  be funded by recognition of lump sums from the excess

20  actuarial assets of the Florida Retirement System Trust Fund

21  as follows:

22         (1)  For fiscal year 2006-2007, the lump sum to be

23  recognized shall be the lesser of:

24         (a)  The amount available under the rate stabilization

25  mechanism described in section 121.031, Florida Statutes; or

26         (b)  The amount needed to pay the annual cost

27  attributable to the increased benefit accrual rate for public

28  school members. The annual cost shall consist of the increase

29  in normal cost for public school members, plus payment of the

30  30-year amortization amount of the increase in the actuarial

31  accrued liability attributable to the increase, equal to 2.51

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    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SB 1266
    13-1197-05                                          See HB 563




 1  percent of the public school member payroll or $212 million

 2  for the fiscal year 2006-2007.

 3  

 4  If, after the recognition of excess actuarial assets pursuant

 5  to this subsection, there remains an unfunded cost, the

 6  contribution rate applicable to public school members shall be

 7  increased by the difference between the annual cost and the

 8  amount provided by the excess actuarial assets, unless the

 9  Legislature provides an alternate funding mechanism.

10         (2)  For fiscal years beginning with 2007-2008, the

11  Legislature shall, as provided in subsection (1), continue to

12  fund on an ongoing basis the annual cost attributable to the

13  formula improvements.

14         Section 4.  The Legislature finds that a proper and

15  legitimate state purpose is served when employees and retirees

16  of the state and of its political subdivisions, and the

17  dependents, survivors, and beneficiaries of such employees and

18  retirees, are extended the basic protections afforded by

19  governmental retirement systems that provide fair and adequate

20  benefits that are managed, administered, and funded in an

21  actuarially sound manner, as required by Section 14, Article X

22  of the State Constitution and part VII of chapter 112, Florida

23  Statutes. Therefore, the Legislature determines and declares

24  that this act fulfills an important state interest.

25         Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

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