HOUSE BILL No. 5361

 

September 15, 2009, Introduced by Reps. Lemmons, Durhal, Johnson, Jackson, Leland, Womack, Bledsoe, Young, Bettie Scott, Geiss and Nathan and referred to the Committee on Education.

 

     A bill to amend 1980 PA 300, entitled

 

"The public school employees retirement act of 1979,"

 

by amending sections 22 and 71 (MCL 38.1322 and 38.1371), section

 

22 as amended by 1997 PA 143 and section 71 as amended by 1996 PA

 

268.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 22. (1) The Michigan public school employees' retirement

 

board is created in the department and shall consist of the

 

superintendent of public instruction and 11 members appointed by

 

the governor with the advice and consent of the senate as follows:

 

     (a) Two members who are working as classroom teachers or as

 

other certified school personnel.

 


     (b) One nonteacher member who is working in a noncertified

 

educational support position or a retirant who retired from a

 

noncertified educational support position.

 

     (c) One member who is a school system superintendent.

 

     (d) One member who is working in a school system in a finance

 

or operations management position, but who is not a school system

 

superintendent.

 

     (e) One retirant who retired from a classroom teacher

 

position.

 

     (f) One retirant who retired from a finance or operations

 

management position.

 

     (g) One administrator or trustee of a community college, which

 

community college is a reporting unit.

 

     (h) Two from the general public, 1 of which shall have

 

experience in health insurance or actuarial science and 1 of which

 

shall have experience in institutional investments. An individual

 

appointed under this subdivision shall not be a member, deferred

 

member, retirant, or retirement allowance beneficiary under this

 

act.

 

     (i) One elected member of a reporting unit's board of control.

 

     (2) One of the retirement board members under subsection (1)

 

shall be a member who is an employee of a school district of the

 

first class or a school district with at least 60,000 but fewer

 

than 100,000 pupils in membership or a retirant who retired from a

 

position as an employee of a school district of the first class or

 

a school district with at least 60,000 but fewer than 100,000

 

pupils in membership. One of the retirant members of the retirement

 


board shall be selected from the membership of the largest

 

organization of retirants.

 

     (3) The term of office of the retirement board members shall

 

be 4 years. A vacancy of a member on the retirement board shall be

 

filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the

 

remainder of the unexpired term. A retirement board member shall

 

continue to hold office until a successor is appointed and has

 

qualified, but not to exceed an additional 4 years.

 

     (4) The 7 members appointed and serving on the retirement

 

board on July 1, 1997 shall have their respective terms extended by

 

2 years and shall serve for the remainder of their extended terms.

 

As each board member's term expires under this subsection, the new

 

appointment shall be made in accordance with subsection (1). On

 

January 1, 1997, 2 new individuals shall be appointed as members of

 

the retirement board in accordance with subsection (1). The initial

 

terms of office of these 2 new members shall expire on March 30,

 

2001. On October 31, 1997, 2 new individuals shall be appointed as

 

members of the retirement board in accordance with subsection (1).

 

The initial terms of office of these 2 new members shall expire on

 

March 30, 2000.

 

     (4) As used in this section, "membership" means that term as

 

defined in the revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1 to

 

380.1852.

 

     Sec. 71. (1) The retirement board shall grant service credit

 

for the time a member is on a sabbatical leave authorized by a

 

reporting unit, if the member returns to regular employment with

 

the same reporting unit and acquires 1 year or more of subsequent

 


service credit with that same reporting unit and if the member

 

acquired 5 or more years of credited service with the reporting

 

unit immediately before the sabbatical leave.

 

     (2) If the sabbatical leave described in subsection (1) is

 

granted before July 1, 1981, the reporting unit, if the reporting

 

unit had a noncontributory plan at the time the sabbatical leave is

 

granted, or the member, if the reporting unit has a contributory

 

plan at the time the sabbatical leave is granted, shall pay to the

 

system for each year of sabbatical leave credit an amount equal to

 

5% of the member's compensation earned in the school fiscal year

 

immediately before the school fiscal year in which the sabbatical

 

leave is granted, together with regular interest from the end of

 

the school fiscal year in which the sabbatical leave was or is

 

granted to the earlier of the following dates following the date of

 

payment, the first day of the school fiscal year beginning after

 

the date of payment or the first day of the seventh month of the

 

school fiscal year in which the payment is made. If the reporting

 

unit makes the payment required by this subsection, the reporting

 

unit also shall pay the required interest. If the member makes the

 

payment required by this subsection, the member also shall pay the

 

required interest.

 

     (3) If the sabbatical leave described in subsection (1) is

 

granted after June 30, 1981, the member shall pay an amount equal

 

to 5% of the member's full-time or equated full-time compensation

 

earned in the school fiscal year immediately before the school

 

fiscal year in which payment is made for each year of service

 

credit the member elects to purchase. In computing payment under

 


this subsection, the compensation amount used, except as otherwise

 

provided in this subsection, shall not be less than the highest

 

school fiscal year compensation the member earned from the

 

reporting unit that granted the sabbatical leave. If the

 

compensation amount used for computing payment under this

 

subsection exceeds the member's final average compensation

 

determined at the time of retirement, the payment required under

 

this subsection shall be recomputed using the member's final

 

average compensation and a refund shall be made based upon the

 

recomputation.

 

     (4) If, before October 31, 1980, either the reporting unit or

 

the member has contributed 5% of the member's compensation for the

 

school fiscal year in which the sabbatical leave was granted in

 

order to purchase service credit for that sabbatical leave, a

 

further payment for the purchase of service credit for that

 

sabbatical leave shall not be required. If a member has paid the

 

amount required under subsection (2) for the purchase of service

 

credit for sabbatical leave, but later receives a refund of that

 

amount, the member, not the reporting unit, shall repay the amount

 

with regular interest as required by subsection (2) if the member

 

elects to purchase service credit for the sabbatical leave.

 

     (5) Effective October 1, 1981, the retirement board shall

 

grant service credit for the time a member is on either an employee

 

organization professional services leave or employee organization

 

professional services released time authorized by a reporting unit

 

if all of the following conditions are satisfied, as applicable:

 

     (a) For a member who is on either a professional services

 


leave or professional services released time that first began

 

before October 1, 1996, which leave or released time is renewed

 

annually by the reporting unit, the member is included on the

 

reporting unit's reports required by section 42(6) and

 

compensation, service, contribution, and other requirements are

 

reported on the same basis as for those members of the reporting

 

unit who were not granted an employee organization professional

 

services leave or employee organization professional services

 

released time.

 

     (b) For a member who is on either a professional services

 

leave or professional services released time, which leave or

 

released time does not meet the requirements of subdivision (a),

 

the member is included on the reporting unit's reports in the

 

manner required by subdivision (a), except that compensation is

 

reported at the rate of compensation paid to the member by the

 

reporting unit immediately preceding the date the member commenced

 

the professional services leave or professional services released

 

time along with the normal and customary compensation increases

 

that would have been paid to the member by the reporting unit had

 

the member remained in the same position held at the reporting unit

 

immediately preceding the date the member commenced the leave or

 

released time. However, if the member was not working a full 12-

 

month period for the reporting unit immediately preceding the date

 

the member commenced the professional services leave or

 

professional services released time and is working a full 12-month

 

period for the public school employee organization, the rate of

 

compensation paid to the member by the reporting unit immediately

 


preceding the date the member commenced the leave or released time

 

may be increased proportionately to reflect the additional time

 

worked for the public school employee organization. That adjusted

 

compensation, along with the normal and customary compensation

 

increases otherwise allowed in this subdivision, shall then be

 

reported as required in this subdivision.

 

     (c) For a member who is on either a professional services

 

leave or professional services released time that first began

 

before October 1, 1996, which leave or released time is renewed

 

annually by the reporting unit, the reporting unit remits the

 

amount required by section 42 and the percentage of aggregate

 

annual compensation provided from the state school aid fund for

 

current service, if any, the percentage determined for unfunded

 

accrued service as required by section 41, and the employer's share

 

of social security contributions if the reporting unit is

 

responsible for remitting the employee's share of social security

 

contributions.

 

     (d) For a member who is on either a professional services

 

leave or professional services released time, which professional

 

services leave or professional services released time does not meet

 

the requirements of subdivision (c), the reporting unit remits the

 

amounts required by subdivision (c) based upon the rate of

 

compensation paid to the member by the reporting unit immediately

 

preceding the date the member commenced the professional services

 

leave or professional services released time along with the normal

 

and customary compensation increases that would have been paid to

 

the member by the reporting unit had the member remained in the

 


same position held at the reporting unit immediately preceding the

 

date the member commenced the leave or released time. However, if

 

the member was not working a full 12-month period for the reporting

 

unit immediately preceding the date the member commenced the

 

professional services leave or professional services released time

 

and is working a full 12-month period for the public school

 

employee organization, the rate of compensation paid to the member

 

by the reporting unit immediately preceding the date the member

 

commenced the leave or released time may be increased

 

proportionately to reflect the additional time worked for the

 

public school employee organization. That adjusted compensation,

 

along with the normal and customary compensation increases

 

otherwise allowed in this subdivision, shall then be reported as

 

required in this subdivision.

 

     (6) The reporting unit shall be reimbursed those sums paid to

 

the retirement board pursuant to subsection (5) by the member or

 

the public school employee organization on a current basis. A

 

member who has credited service as an employee of a school district

 

of the first class, as described in part 6 of the revised school

 

code, Act No. 451 of the Public Acts of 1976, being sections

 

380.401 to 380.485 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, 1976 PA 451, MCL

 

380.401 to 380.485, or a school district with at least 60,000 but

 

fewer than 100,000 pupils in membership for a leave of absence

 

effective before October 1, 1981, shall continue to receive credit

 

based upon the provisions of the law of this state in effect at the

 

time the leave of absence was initially effective.

 

     (7) As used in this section, "membership" means that term as

 


defined in the revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1 to

 

380.1852.