Section 2500.51   Special Provisions for Withholding Pursuant to the Voluntary Payroll Deductions Act of 1983

a)         A petitioning organization desiring to be designated as a "qualified organization" under the Voluntary Payroll Deductions Act of 1983 (the "Act") must submit written designations from at least 4,000 State employees and/or annuitants indicating that each employee or annuitant intends to authorize withholding for payment to that organization.

b)         Petitioning organizations shall submit proposed forms for the written designations to the Comptroller for approval.  The Comptroller will approve the forms where the information set forth in this subsection (b) is included on such forms.  At a minimum, petitioning organizations shall include on the written designation forms the following:

1)         Information identifying the petitioning organization;

2)         The employee's or annuitant's name (dated signature);

3)         The State Agency in which the employee is currently employed, if applicable;

4)         The last four digits of the employee's or annuitant's Social Security Number;

5)         A statement in prominent type "This is not a payroll deduction authorization.";

6)         A statement of the percentage of the organization's total collected receipts from employees' payroll and/or annuitants' deductions that are distributed to the benefiting agencies and the percentage of the organization's total collected receipts from employees' payroll and/or annuitants' deductions that are expended for fund-raising and overhead costs.

c)         No fewer than 4,000 employee and/or annuitant designations shall be submitted to the Comptroller by the petitioning organization at one time, in either of the following formats:

1)         In a "petition" format with the information established in subsection (b) prominently typed at the top of the page with spaces for up to 100 signatures.

2)         In a "card" format, with the information established in subsection (b) typed on each card with a space for signature for only one employee or annuitant. The cards shall not exceed 8 ½ by 11 inches and must be batched in groups of 100.

d)         Entities desiring designation as a qualified organization must show entitlement by making the certifications identified in Section 3(b)(2)-(10) of the Act.  The certifications shall be transmitted along with the 4,000 written designations from employees and/or annuitants to the Comptroller at his offices at 325 West Adams Street, Springfield, Illinois 62706 Attention:  Payroll Department, in letter form signed by the chief executive officer (or his equivalent) of the requesting organization.

e)         By February 1 of each year, the Comptroller will notify by letter each qualified organization for which the Comptroller's records indicated that fewer than 500 employees and/or annuitants have authorized withholding on behalf of that organization.  The notification shall give the qualified organization until March 1 to provide the Comptroller with documentation that the 500 deduction requirement has been met.  If the qualified organization does not submit evidence that 500 employees and/or annuitants have authorized withholding on behalf of the organization within 30 calendar days after the date of the Comptroller's notification letter, the Comptroller will discontinue withholding for that organization. Evidence of withholding authorization by employees or annuitants may consist of signed payroll or annuity deduction authorization forms that include withholdings on behalf of such organizations or information submitted to the Comptroller by a university or retirement system that documents the number of State and university employees and annuitants who have authorized withholding on behalf of the organization during the prior calendar year.  The Comptroller shall, by March 15 of each year, submit to the Governor or his or her designee, or such other agency as may be determined by the Governor, a list of all organizations that have met the 500 payroll deduction requirement.

f)         An employee or annuitant may authorize the withholding of a portion of his salary, wages, or annuity for contribution to a maximum number of four organizations described in Section 3 (b) and (c) of the Act  [5 ILCS 340/4 and 4.5]. Once a State agency has received four currently effective deduction authorization forms from an employee or an annuitant for withholding on behalf of the organizations described in Section 3 (b) and (c) of the Act, the State agency shall accept no further deduction authorization forms for organizations described in Section 3 (b) and (c) of the Act from that employee or annuitant, unless a previously effective deduction authorization is terminated by the employee or annuitant (or by the expiration of the stated term of the prior authorization).

g)         As used in this Section, "employee" means any regular officer or employee who receives salary or wages for personal services rendered to the State of Illinois, including an individual hired as an employee by contract with that individual. [5 ILCS 340/3(a)]

h)         As used in this Section, "annuitant" means a person receiving an annuity or disability benefit under Article 2, 14, 15, 16 or 18 of the Illinois Pension Code [40 ILCS 5]. [5 ILCS 340/3(f)]

(Source:  Amended at 27 Ill. Reg. 9151, effective June 2, 2003)