State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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91_HB0672

 
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 1        AN ACT to amend  the  Illinois  Pension  Code  by  adding
 2    Section 7-199.4 and to amend the State Mandates Act.

 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:

 5        Section 5.  The  Illinois  Pension  Code  is  amended  by
 6    adding Section 7-199.4 as follows:

 7        (40 ILCS 5/7-199.4 new)
 8        Sec.  7-199.4.  To  administer  a program of group health
 9    benefits.  To administer a program of group  health  benefits
10    for  retired employees and their dependents and survivors and
11    to provide subsidies on an equitable basis for those  retired
12    employees  who  elect  to  continue  to  participate in their
13    former  IMRF  employer's  group   health   plan   under   the
14    continuation privilege.
15        (a)  For the purposes of this Section:
16        "Active  employee"  means an employee of an IMRF employer
17    who is an active participant in the Fund.
18        "Continuation privilege" means  the  right  of  a  former
19    employee  to  continue participation in the former employer's
20    group  health  plan,  as  established  under   the   Illinois
21    Insurance Code and applicable federal law.
22        "IMRF  employer"  means  a  participating municipality or
23    participating   instrumentality    having    employees    who
24    participate in the Fund by reason of that employment.
25        "Retired  employee"  means  a  person  who is receiving a
26    retirement annuity from the Fund and has a total of at  least
27    8  years  of participation in participating systems under the
28    Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act.
29        (b)  The Board shall establish and administer  a  program
30    of  group  health  benefits  for  retired employees and their
31    dependents and survivors.  This program may be self-funded or
 
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 1    operated  under  a  policy  of  group  accident  and   health
 2    insurance.   As  part  of  this program, the Board shall also
 3    establish and administer a  fair  and  equitable  program  of
 4    subsidies  to  offset  the  cost  of  participation for those
 5    retired employees who elect to  continue  to  participate  in
 6    their  former  IMRF  employer's  group  health plan under the
 7    continuation privilege.
 8        All retired employees are eligible to participate in  the
 9    program.  The Board may adopt any rules that may be necessary
10    or    convenient    relating   to   the   establishment   and
11    administration of the program or to the conditions and  terms
12    of participation in the program.  The Board rules may require
13    use  of  the  continuation privilege by retired employees who
14    are eligible to use that privilege but are not  eligible  for
15    Medicare.
16        This  program  shall be entirely independent of the other
17    functions  and  assets  of  the  Fund,  and  the  assets  and
18    liabilities arising out of  the  operation  of  this  program
19    shall  remain  separate from the other assets and liabilities
20    of the Fund.  Moneys received by the Board  relating  to  the
21    program  established  under  this Section shall not be deemed
22    contributions to or assets of the  Fund.    All  such  moneys
23    shall be held by the Board in separate accounts and used only
24    for  the  purposes  of  the  program  established  under this
25    Section.
26        (c)  From  the  separate  account  established  for  this
27    purpose, the  Fund  shall  pay  a  portion  of  the  cost  of
28    participation  for  each eligible retired employee who elects
29    to participate in either the  former  IMRF  employer's  group
30    health   plan   under   the  continuation  privilege  or  the
31    IMRF-sponsored health benefit plan, equal to 5% of  the  cost
32    of  the  retired  employee's participation (not including any
33    dependent  or  optional  coverages)  for  each  year  of  the
34    employee's participation in the Fund, up to a maximum  of  20
 
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 1    years.  To be eligible for this subsidy, the retired employee
 2    must  have  a  total  of at least 8 years of participation in
 3    participating systems under the Retirement Systems Reciprocal
 4    Act.
 5        The balance of the cost of participation in  the  program
 6    for  a  retired  employee who elects to participate, together
 7    with the entire cost of any optional coverage or coverage for
 8    dependent  beneficiaries,  shall  be   paid   by   deductions
 9    authorized by the retired employee to be withheld from his or
10    her  monthly annuity payment, except that any amount by which
11    the monthly premium balance exceeds the  net  amount  of  the
12    monthly  annuity  payment  shall be paid directly to the Fund
13    (or to the  employer  in  the  case  of  utilization  of  the
14    continuation  privilege)  by the participant.  All amounts so
15    withheld or paid to the Fund shall be held in trust  for  the
16    purposes  of  paying  the  costs  of  the  retired employee's
17    participation in the health benefit program.
18        (d)  Beginning on the  first  day  of  the  fourth  month
19    following  the  month in which this Section takes effect, all
20    active employees shall contribute 1% of earnings  toward  the
21    cost  of the program established under subsection (b).  These
22    contributions shall be deducted by the employer and  paid  to
23    the  Fund  for  deposit into the separate account established
24    under subsection (c).  The Fund may use  the  same  processes
25    for  collecting the contributions required by this subsection
26    that it uses to collect contributions  from  employees  under
27    Section  7-173.  An IMRF employer may agree to pick up or pay
28    the contributions required under this subsection on behalf of
29    the employee.  Contributions made under this  subsection  are
30    not transferable to other pension funds or retirement systems
31    and are not refundable upon termination of service.
32        (e)  Beginning  on  the  first  day  of  the fourth month
33    following the month in which this Section takes effect, every
34    IMRF employer shall contribute toward the cost of the program
 
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 1    established under subsection (b) an amount equal to 1% of the
 2    earnings of its active employees.  These contributions  shall
 3    be  paid  by  the  employer  to the Fund for deposit into the
 4    separate account established under subsection (c).  The  Fund
 5    may  use  the same processes for collecting the contributions
 6    required  by  this  subsection  that  it  uses   to   collect
 7    contributions   from   employers  under  Sections  7-172  and
 8    7-172.1.  Contributions for  the  program  established  under
 9    this  Section are separate from the contributions to the Fund
10    required under Section 7-172 and shall not be included in the
11    calculation of the contribution rate under that Section.
12        (f)  The  Board  shall   establish   and   administer   a
13    transitional  subsidy  program  under this subsection (f) for
14    retired employees who are not eligible for the subsidy  under
15    subsection (c).
16        Beginning  on the first day of the fourth month following
17    the month in which this Section takes effect and ending  upon
18    termination of the transitional subsidy program as determined
19    by the Board, in addition to the contributions required under
20    subsection  (e),  every IMRF employer shall contribute toward
21    the cost of  the  transitional  subsidy  program  established
22    under  this  subsection  (f)  an amount equal to 0.25% of the
23    earnings of its active employees.  These contributions  shall
24    be  paid  by  the  employer  to  the  Fund for deposit into a
25    separate account established under this  subsection  for  the
26    transitional  subsidy  program.   The  Fund  may use the same
27    processes for collecting the contributions required  by  this
28    subsection   that  it  uses  to  collect  contributions  from
29    employers under Sections 7-172  and  7-172.1.   Contributions
30    for  the  transitional subsidy program established under this
31    subsection are separate from the contributions  to  the  Fund
32    required under Section 7-172 and shall not be included in the
33    calculation of the contribution rate under that Section.
34        The  Fund shall pay from the separate account established
 
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 1    under this subsection a portion of the cost of  participation
 2    (not  including any dependent or optional coverages) for each
 3    retired employee who elects  to  participate  in  either  the
 4    former   IMRF   employer's   group   health  plan  under  the
 5    continuation privilege or the IMRF-sponsored  health  benefit
 6    plan and who is not eligible for the subsidy under subsection
 7    (c).   The  amount of the subsidy under this subsection shall
 8    be determined annually by the Fund  on  an  equitable  basis,
 9    based  on the number of years of service with IMRF employers.
10    The subsidy shall be applied as an offset to deductions  from
11    the monthly annuity.
12        The  balance  of  the cost of participation in the health
13    benefit  program  for  a  retired  employee  who  elects   to
14    participate,  together  with  the entire cost of any optional
15    coverage or coverage for dependent  beneficiaries,  shall  be
16    paid  by  deductions authorized by the retired employee to be
17    withheld from his or her monthly annuity payment, except that
18    any amount by which the monthly premium balance  exceeds  the
19    net  amount  of  the  monthly  annuity  payment shall be paid
20    directly to the Fund (or to  the  employer  in  the  case  of
21    utilization   of   the   continuation   privilege)   by   the
22    participant.   All  amounts  so  withheld or paid to the Fund
23    shall be held in trust for the purposes of paying  the  costs
24    of the retired employee's participation in the health benefit
25    program.
26        This  transitional  subsidy  program shall cease to exist
27    when the Board  determines  that  there  are  no  longer  any
28    retired employees eligible to participate in the transitional
29    subsidy  program.    At that time any excess contributions in
30    the separate account for  the  transitional  subsidy  program
31    shall be returned to IMRF employers on an equitable basis, as
32    determined by the Board.
33        (g)  The  Board  shall  submit  an  annual  report of its
34    activities under this Section to each IMRF employer.
 
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 1        (h)  The  group  health  benefit  and  subsidy   programs
 2    established  under  this  Section  are not intended to be and
 3    shall not be construed to be pension or  retirement  benefits
 4    for  purposes  of  Section  5 of Article XIII of the Illinois
 5    Constitution.

 6        Section 90.  The State Mandates Act is amended by  adding
 7    Section 8.23 as follows:

 8        (30 ILCS 805/8.23 new)
 9        Sec.  8.23.  Exempt  mandate.  Notwithstanding Sections 6
10    and 8 of this Act, no reimbursement by the State is  required
11    for  the  implementation  of  any  mandate  created  by  this
12    amendatory Act of 1999.

13        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
14    becoming law.

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