State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
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91_HB2365

 
                                               LRB9105295EGfg

 1        AN  ACT  to  amend  the Illinois Pension Code by changing
 2    Sections 15-135, 15-145, and 15-146.

 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    changing Sections 15-135, 15-145, and 15-146 as follows:

 7        (40 ILCS 5/15-135) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 15-135)
 8        Sec. 15-135.  Retirement annuities - Conditions.
 9        (a)  A participant who retires with at least 30 years  of
10    creditable  service  in  one of the following specified years
11    with the  specified  amount  of  service  is  entitled  to  a
12    retirement  annuity  at  any age under the retirement program
13    applicable to the participant.:
14             35 years if retirement is in 1997 or before;
15             34 years if retirement is in 1998;
16             33 years if retirement is in 1999;
17             32 years if retirement is in 2000;
18             31 years if retirement is in 2001;
19             30 years if retirement is in 2002;
20             35 years if retirement is in 2003 or later.
21        A participant with 8  or  more  years  of  service  after
22    September  1, 1941, is entitled to a retirement annuity on or
23    after attainment of age 55.
24        A participant with at least 5 but less than  8  years  of
25    service  after September 1, 1941, is entitled to a retirement
26    annuity on or after attainment of age 62.
27        A participant who has at least 25  years  of  service  in
28    this system as a police officer or firefighter is entitled to
29    a retirement annuity on or after the attainment of age 50, if
30    Rule 4 of Section 15-136 is applicable to the participant.
31        (b)  The  annuity  payment period shall begin on the date
 
                            -2-                LRB9105295EGfg
 1    specified   by   the   participant   submitting   a   written
 2    application, which date shall not be prior to termination  of
 3    employment  or  more  than one year before the application is
 4    received by the board; however, if the participant is not  an
 5    employee  of an employer participating in this System or in a
 6    participating system as defined in Article 20 of this Code on
 7    April 1 of the calendar year next following the calendar year
 8    in which the participant  attains  age  70 1/2,  the  annuity
 9    payment period shall begin on that date regardless of whether
10    an application has been filed.
11        (c)  An  annuity  is  not  payable if the amount provided
12    under Section 15-136 is less than $10 per month.
13    (Source: P.A. 90-65, eff. 7-7-97; 90-766, eff. 8-14-98.)

14        (40 ILCS 5/15-145) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 15-145)
15        Sec. 15-145.  Survivors  insurance  benefits;  conditions
16    and amounts.
17        (a)  The survivors insurance benefits provided under this
18    Section  shall  be  payable  to  the  eligible survivors of a
19    participant covered under  the  traditional  benefit  package
20    upon  the death of (1) a participating employee with at least
21    1 1/2 years of service,  (2)  a  participant  who  terminated
22    employment  with  at  least  10  years of service, and (3) an
23    annuitant in receipt of a retirement  annuity  or  disability
24    retirement annuity under this Article.
25        Service  under  the State Employees' Retirement System of
26    Illinois, the Teachers' Retirement System  of  the  State  of
27    Illinois   and   the  Public  School  Teachers'  Pension  and
28    Retirement Fund of Chicago shall be considered in determining
29    eligibility for survivors benefits under this Section.
30        If by law, a function of a governmental unit, as  defined
31    by  Section  20-107, is transferred in whole or in part to an
32    employer, and an  employee  transfers  employment  from  this
33    governmental  unit to such employer within 6 months after the
 
                            -3-                LRB9105295EGfg
 1    transfer  of  this  function,  the  service  credits  in  the
 2    governmental  unit's  retirement  system  which   have   been
 3    validated   under  Section  20-109  shall  be  considered  in
 4    determining eligibility for  survivors  benefits  under  this
 5    Section.
 6        (b)  A  surviving spouse of a deceased participant, or of
 7    a  deceased  annuitant  who   had   a   survivors   insurance
 8    beneficiary  at  the  time  of  retirement,  shall  receive a
 9    survivors annuity of 30%  of  the  final  rate  of  earnings.
10    Payments  shall  begin on the day following the participant's
11    or annuitant's death or the date the surviving spouse attains
12    age 50, whichever is later, and continue until the  death  of
13    the  surviving  spouse.   The annuity shall be payable to the
14    surviving spouse  prior  to  attainment  of  age  50  if  the
15    surviving   spouse   has  in  his  or  her  care  a  deceased
16    participant's or annuitant's dependent unmarried child  under
17    age  18 (under age 22 if a full-time student) who is eligible
18    for a survivors annuity.  Remarriage of  a  surviving  spouse
19    prior to attainment of age 55 shall disqualify him or her for
20    the receipt of a survivors annuity.
21        (c)  Each  dependent  unmarried child under age 18 (under
22    age 23 22 if a full-time student) of a deceased  participant,
23    or  of  a  deceased  annuitant  who had a survivors insurance
24    beneficiary at the time  of  his  or  her  retirement,  shall
25    receive  a  survivors  annuity equal to the sum of (1) 20% of
26    the final rate of earnings, and (2) 10% of the final rate  of
27    earnings  divided  by the number of children entitled to this
28    benefit.  Payments shall  begin  on  the  day  following  the
29    participant's  or  annuitant's  death  and continue until the
30    child marries, dies, or attains  age  18  (age  23  22  if  a
31    full-time  student).   If  the child (under age 18) is in the
32    care of a surviving spouse  who  is  eligible  for  survivors
33    insurance  benefits, the child's benefit shall be paid to the
34    surviving spouse.
 
                            -4-                LRB9105295EGfg
 1        Each  unmarried  child  over  age  18   of   a   deceased
 2    participant  or  of a deceased annuitant who had a survivor's
 3    insurance beneficiary at the time of his or  her  retirement,
 4    and  who  was  dependent upon the participant or annuitant by
 5    reason of a physical or mental disability which  began  prior
 6    to  the date the child attained age 18 (age 22 if a full-time
 7    student), shall receive a survivor's annuity equal to the sum
 8    of (1) 20% of the final rate of earnings, and (2) 10% of  the
 9    final  rate  of  earnings  divided  by the number of children
10    entitled to survivors benefits.  Payments shall begin on  the
11    day  following  the  participant's  or  annuitant's death and
12    continue until the child  marries,  dies,  or  is  no  longer
13    disabled.   If the child is in the care of a surviving spouse
14    who is eligible for survivors insurance benefits, the child's
15    benefit may  be  paid  to  the  surviving  spouse.   For  the
16    purposes  of  this  Section,  disability  means  inability to
17    engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason  of  any
18    medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can
19    be  expected  to result in death or that has lasted or can be
20    expected to last for a continuous  period  of  at  least  one
21    year.
22        (d)  Each  dependent parent of a deceased participant, or
23    of  a  deceased  annuitant  who  had  a  survivors  insurance
24    beneficiary at the time  of  his  or  her  retirement,  shall
25    receive  a  survivors  annuity equal to the sum of (1) 20% of
26    final rate of earnings, and (2) 10% of final rate of earnings
27    divided by the number of parents who qualify for the benefit.
28    Payments shall begin when the parent reaches age  55  or  the
29    day   following   the  participant's  or  annuitant's  death,
30    whichever is later,  and  continue  until  the  parent  dies.
31    Remarriage  of  a  parent prior to attainment of age 55 shall
32    disqualify the parent for the receipt of a survivors annuity.
33        (e)  In addition to the survivors annuity provided above,
34    each survivors insurance beneficiary shall, upon death of the
 
                            -5-                LRB9105295EGfg
 1    participant or annuitant,  receive  a  lump  sum  payment  of
 2    $1,000 divided by the number of such beneficiaries.
 3        (f)  The  changes  made  in  this  Section  by Public Act
 4    81-712  pertaining  to  survivors  annuities  in   cases   of
 5    remarriage  prior  to  age  55  shall apply to each survivors
 6    insurance beneficiary who  remarries  after  June  30,  1979,
 7    regardless  of  the  date  that  the participant or annuitant
 8    terminated his employment or died.
 9        (g)  On January 1, 1981, any person who was  receiving  a
10    survivors annuity on or before January 1, 1971 shall have the
11    survivors  annuity  then  being paid increased by 1% for each
12    full year which has elapsed from the date the annuity  began.
13    On  January  1,  1982, any survivor whose annuity began after
14    January 1, 1971, but before January 1, 1981, shall  have  the
15    survivor's  annuity  then being paid increased by 1% for each
16    year which has elapsed from the date the  survivor's  annuity
17    began. On January 1, 1987, any survivor who began receiving a
18    survivor's  annuity  on or before January 1, 1977, shall have
19    the monthly survivor's annuity increased by $1 for each  full
20    year  which has elapsed since the date the survivor's annuity
21    began.
22        (h)  If the  sum  of  the  lump  sum  and  total  monthly
23    survivor  benefits  payable under this Section upon the death
24    of a participant amounts to less than the sum  of  the  death
25    benefits  payable  under items (2) and (3) of Section 15-141,
26    the difference shall be paid in a lump sum to the beneficiary
27    of the participant who  is  living  on  the  date  that  this
28    additional amount becomes payable.
29        (i)  If  the  sum  of  the  lump  sum  and  total monthly
30    survivor benefits payable under this Section upon  the  death
31    of  an annuitant receiving a retirement annuity or disability
32    retirement annuity amounts to less  than  the  death  benefit
33    payable under Section 15-142, the difference shall be paid to
34    the  beneficiary  of  the annuitant who is living on the date
 
                            -6-                LRB9105295EGfg
 1    that this additional amount becomes payable.
 2        (j)  Effective on the later of (1) January  1,  1990,  or
 3    (2)  the  January  1  on  or next after the date on which the
 4    survivor annuity begins, if the deceased  member  died  while
 5    receiving  a  retirement  annuity,  or in all other cases the
 6    January 1 nearest the  first  anniversary  of  the  date  the
 7    survivor  annuity  payments  begin, every survivors insurance
 8    beneficiary shall receive an increase in his or  her  monthly
 9    survivors annuity of 3%.  On each January 1 after the initial
10    increase, the monthly survivors annuity shall be increased by
11    3%  of  the  total  survivors  annuity  provided  under  this
12    Article,   including  previous  increases  provided  by  this
13    subsection.  Such increases  shall  apply  to  the  survivors
14    insurance  beneficiaries  of  each participant and annuitant,
15    whether or not the employment status of  the  participant  or
16    annuitant  terminates  before  the  effective  date  of  this
17    amendatory Act of 1990.
18        (k)  If  the  Internal  Revenue Code of 1986, as amended,
19    requires that the survivors benefits be  payable  at  an  age
20    earlier  than  that  specified  in  this Section the benefits
21    shall  begin  at  the  earlier  age,  in  which  event,   the
22    survivor's  beneficiary shall be entitled only to that amount
23    which is equal to the actuarial equivalent  of  the  benefits
24    provided by this Section.
25        (l)  The  changes made to this Section and Section 15-131
26    by this amendatory Act of  1997,  relating  to  benefits  for
27    certain  unmarried  children who are full-time students under
28    age 22, apply without regard to whether the  deceased  member
29    was  in  service  on  or  after  the  effective  date of this
30    amendatory Act of 1997.  These changes do not  authorize  the
31    repayment  of  a refund or a re-election of benefits, and any
32    benefit or increase in benefits resulting from these  changes
33    is  not  payable  retroactively  for  any  period  before the
34    effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997.
 
                            -7-                LRB9105295EGfg
 1    (Source: P.A. 90-448, eff. 8-16-97; 90-766, eff. 8-14-98.)

 2        (40 ILCS 5/15-146) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 15-146)
 3        Sec. 15-146.   Survivors  insurance  benefits  -  Minimum
 4    amounts.
 5        (a)  The  minimum  total  survivors  annuity  payable  on
 6    account  of  the  death  of a participant shall be 50% of the
 7    retirement annuity which would have been provided under  Rule
 8    1, Rule 2, or Rule 3 of Section 15-136 upon the participant's
 9    attainment  of the minimum age at which the penalty for early
10    retirement would  not  be  applicable  or  the  date  of  the
11    participant's  death,  whichever  is  later,  on the basis of
12    credits earned prior to the time of death.
13        (b)  The  minimum  total  survivors  annuity  payable  on
14    account of the death of an annuitant  shall  be  50%  of  the
15    retirement  annuity  which is payable under Section 15-136 at
16    the time of death or 50% of the disability retirement annuity
17    payable  under  Section  15-153.2.  This  minimum   survivors
18    annuity  shall  apply  to  each participant and annuitant who
19    dies after September 16, 1979, whether  or  not  his  or  her
20    employee status terminates before or after that date.
21        (c)  If  an annuitant has elected a reversionary annuity,
22    the retirement annuity referred to in this  Section  is  that
23    which  would  have  been  payable  had such election not been
24    filed.
25        (d)  Beginning  January  1,  2000,  any  person  who   is
26    receiving a survivors annuity under this Article which, after
27    inclusion  of  all one-time and automatic annual increases to
28    which the person  is  entitled,  is  less  than  the  minimum
29    monthly  survivors annuity amount specified in subsection (e)
30    of this Section, shall be entitled to a monthly  supplemental
31    payment equal to the difference.
32        (e)  For  purposes  of the calculation in subsection (d),
33    the minimum monthly survivors annuity amount is  the  sum  of
 
                            -8-                LRB9105295EGfg
 1    $25 for each year of the deceased member's service credit, up
 2    to a maximum of 30 years of service.
 3    (Source: P.A. 90-448, eff. 8-16-97; 90-766, eff. 8-14-98.)

 4        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
 5    becoming law.

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