2008-PA-0353.htm

Act No. 353

Public Acts of 2008

Approved by the Governor

December 23, 2008

Filed with the Secretary of State

December 23, 2008

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 23, 2008

STATE OF MICHIGAN

94TH LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2008

Introduced by Rep. Bauer

ENROLLED HOUSE BILL No. 6636

AN ACT to amend 1943 PA 240, entitled "An act to provide for a state employees' retirement system; to create a state employees' retirement board and prescribe its powers and duties; to establish certain funds in connection with the retirement system; to require contributions to the retirement system by and on behalf of members and participants of the retirement system; to create certain accounts and provide for expenditures from those accounts; to prescribe the powers and duties of certain state and local officers and employees and certain state departments and agencies; to prescribe and make appropriations for the retirement system; and to prescribe penalties and provide remedies," by amending sections 1d and 49 (MCL 38.1d and 38.49), section 1d as amended by 2002 PA 93 and section 49 as amended by 2004 PA 33.

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

Sec. 1d. (1) Beginning January 1, 2002, except as otherwise provided in this subsection, "eligible retirement plan" means 1 or more of the following:

(a) An individual retirement account described in section 408(a) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 408.

(b) An individual retirement annuity described in section 408(b) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 408.

(d) A qualified trust described in section 401(a) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 401.

(e) An annuity contract described in section 403(b) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 403.

(f) An eligible plan under section 457(b) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 457, that is maintained by a state, a political subdivision of a state, an agency or instrumentality of a state, or an agency or instrumentality of a political subdivision of a state, so long as amounts transferred into eligible retirement plans from this retirement system are separately accounted for by the plan provider that accepts the distributee's eligible rollover distribution. However, in the case of an eligible rollover distribution to a surviving spouse on or before December 31, 2001, an eligible retirement plan means an individual retirement account or an individual retirement annuity described above.

(g) Beginning January 1, 2008, except as otherwise provided in this subsection, "eligible retirement plan" means a Roth individual retirement account as described in section 408A of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 408A, subject to the rules that apply to rollovers from a traditional individual retirement account to a Roth individual retirement account.

(2) Beginning January 1, 2007, "eligible rollover distribution" means a distribution of all or any portion of the balance to the credit of the distributee. Eligible rollover distribution does not include any of the following:

(a) A distribution made for the life or life expectancy of the distributee or the joint lives or joint life expectancies of the distributee and the distributee's designated beneficiary.

(b) A distribution for a specified period of 10 years or more.

(d) The portion of any distribution that is not includable in federal gross income, except to the extent such portion of the distribution is paid to either of the following:

(i) An individual retirement account or annuity described in section 408(a) or 408(b) of the internal revenue code, 26USC408.

(ii) A qualified plan described in section 401(a) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 401, or an annuity contract described in section 403(b) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 403, and the plan providers agree to separately account for the amounts paid, including any portion of the distribution that is includable in federal gross income, and the portion of the distribution which is not so includable.

(3) "Employee" means a person who may become eligible for membership under this act, as provided in section 13, if the person's compensation is paid in whole or in part by this state.

(4) "Employer" or "state" means this state.

Sec. 49. (1) This section is enacted pursuant to section 401(a) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 401, that imposes certain administrative requirements and benefit limitations for qualified governmental plans. This state intends that the retirement system be a qualified pension plan created in trust under section 401 of the internal revenue code, 26USC401, and that the trust be an exempt organization under section 501 of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 501. The department shall administer the retirement system to fulfill this intent.

(2) The retirement system shall be administered in compliance with the provisions of section 415 of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 415, and regulations under that section that are applicable to governmental plans and beginning January 1, 2010, applicable provisions of the final regulations issued by the internal revenue service on April 5, 2007. Employer-financed benefits provided by the retirement system under this act shall not exceed the applicable limitations set forth in section 415 of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 415, as adjusted by the commissioner of internal revenue under section 415(d) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 415, to reflect cost-of-living increases, and the retirement system shall adjust the benefits, including benefits payable to retirants and retirement allowance beneficiaries, subject to the limitation each calendar year to conform with the adjusted limitation. For purposes of section 415(b) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 415, the applicable limitation shall apply to aggregated benefits received from all qualified pension plans for which the office of retirement services coordinates administration of that limitation. If there is a conflict between this section and another section of this act, this section prevails.

(3) The assets of the retirement system shall be held in trust and invested for the sole purpose of meeting the legitimate obligations of the retirement system and shall not be used for any other purpose. The assets shall not be used for or diverted to a purpose other than for the exclusive benefit of the members, vested former members, retirants, and retirement allowance beneficiaries before satisfaction of all retirement system liabilities.

(4) The retirement system shall return post-tax member contributions made by a member and received by the retirement system to a member upon retirement, pursuant to internal revenue service regulations and approved internal revenue service exclusion ratio tables.

(5) The required beginning date for retirement allowances and other distributions shall not be later than April 1 of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the employee attains age 70-1/2 or April 1 of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the employee retires. The required minimum distribution requirements imposed by section 401(a)(9) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 401, shall apply to this act and be administered in accordance with a reasonable and good faith interpretation of the required minimum distribution requirements for all years to which the required minimum distribution requirements apply to the retirement system.

(6) If the retirement system is terminated, the interest of the members, vested former members, retirants, and retirement allowance beneficiaries in the retirement system is nonforfeitable to the extent funded as described in section 411(d)(3) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 411, and related internal revenue service regulations applicable to governmental plans.

(7) Notwithstanding any other provision of this act to the contrary that would limit a distributee's election under this act, a distributee may elect, at the time and in the manner prescribed by the retirement board, to have any portion of an eligible rollover distribution paid directly to an eligible retirement plan specified by the distributee in a direct rollover. This subsection applies to distributions made on or after January 1, 1993.

(8) For purposes of determining actuarial equivalent retirement allowances under sections 31(1)(a) and (b) and 20(2), the actuarially assumed interest rate shall be 8% with utilization of the 1983 group annuity and mortality table.

(9) Notwithstanding any other provision of this act, the compensation of a member of the retirement system shall be taken into account for any year under the retirement system only to the extent that it does not exceed the compensation limit established in section 401(a)(17) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 401, as adjusted by the commissioner of internal revenue. This subsection applies to any person who first becomes a member of the retirement system on or after October 1, 1996.

(10) Notwithstanding any other provision of this act, contributions, benefits, and service credit with respect to qualified military service will be provided under the retirement system in accordance with section 414(u) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 414. This subsection applies to all qualified military service on or after December 12, 1994. Beginning on January 1, 2007, in accordance with section 401(a)(37) of the internal revenue code, 26 USC 401, if a member dies while performing qualified military service for purposes of determining death benefits payable under this act, the member shall be treated as having resumed and then terminated employment because of death.

This act is ordered to take immediate effect.

Clerk of the House of Representatives

Secretary of the Senate

Approved

Governor