98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HB5285

 

Introduced , by Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
40 ILCS 5/16-150.1

    Amends the Downstate Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code in the Section concerning the return to teaching in subject shortage areas. In the provision defining "eligible employment" for the purpose of allowing a teacher to return to teaching in subject shortage areas without impairing his or her retirement status or retirement annuity, changes the ending date of the employment from no later than June 30, 2013 to no later than June 30, 2018. Provides that with respect to an annuitant's eligible employment, both employee and employer contributions shall be made to the System (rather than neither employee nor employer contributions shall be made to the System) and no additional service credit shall be earned. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
PENSION IMPACT NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning public employee benefits.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Pension Code is amended by changing
5Sections 16-150.1 and 16-203 as follows:
 
6    (40 ILCS 5/16-150.1)
7    Sec. 16-150.1. Return to teaching in subject shortage area.
8    (a) As used in this Section, "eligible employment" means
9employment beginning on or after July 1, 2003 and ending no
10later than June 30, 2018 2013, in a subject shortage area at a
11qualified school, in a position requiring certification under
12the law governing the certification of teachers.
13    As used in this Section, "qualified school" means a public
14elementary or secondary school that meets all of the following
15requirements:
16        (1) At the time of hiring a retired teacher under this
17    Section, the school is experiencing a shortage of teachers
18    in the subject shortage area for which the teacher is
19    hired.
20        (2) The school district to which the school belongs has
21    complied with the requirements of subsection (e), and the
22    regional superintendent has certified that compliance to
23    the System.

 

 

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1        (3) If the school district to which the school belongs
2    provides group health benefits for its teachers generally,
3    substantially similar health benefits are made available
4    for teachers participating in the program under this
5    Section, without any limitations based on pre-existing
6    conditions.
7    (b) An annuitant receiving a retirement annuity under this
8Article (other than a disability retirement annuity) may engage
9in eligible employment at a qualified school without impairing
10his or her retirement status or retirement annuity, subject to
11the following conditions:
12        (1) the eligible employment does not begin within the
13    school year during which service was terminated;
14        (2) the annuitant has not received any early retirement
15    incentive under Section 16-133.3, 16-133.4, or 16-133.5;
16        (3) if the annuitant retired before age 60 and with
17    less than 34 years of service, the eligible employment does
18    not begin within the year following the effective date of
19    the retirement annuity;
20        (4) if the annuitant retired at age 60 or above or with
21    34 or more years of service, the eligible employment does
22    not begin within the 90 days following the effective date
23    of the retirement annuity; and
24        (5) before the eligible employment begins, the
25    employer notifies the System in writing of the annuitant's
26    desire to participate in the program established under this

 

 

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1    Section.
2    (c) An annuitant engaged in eligible employment in
3accordance with subsection (b) shall be deemed a participant in
4the program established under this Section for so long as he or
5she remains employed in eligible employment.
6    (d) A participant in the program established under this
7Section continues to be a retirement annuitant, rather than an
8active teacher, for all of the purposes of this Code, but shall
9be deemed an active teacher for other purposes, such as
10inclusion in a collective bargaining unit, eligibility for
11group health benefits, and compliance with the laws governing
12the employment, regulation, certification, treatment, and
13conduct of teachers.
14    With respect to an annuitant's eligible employment under
15this Section, both neither employee and nor employer
16contributions shall be made to the System and no additional
17service credit shall be earned. Eligible employment does not
18affect the annuitant's final average salary or the amount of
19the retirement annuity.
20    (e) Before hiring a teacher under this Section, the school
21district to which the school belongs must do the following:
22        (1) If the school district to which the school belongs
23    has honorably dismissed, within the calendar year
24    preceding the beginning of the school term for which it
25    seeks to employ a retired teacher under the program
26    established in this Section, any teachers who are legally

 

 

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1    qualified to hold positions in the subject shortage area
2    and have not yet begun to receive their retirement
3    annuities under this Article, the vacant positions must
4    first be tendered to those teachers.
5        (2) For a period of at least 90 days during the 6
6    months preceding the beginning of either the fall or spring
7    term for which it seeks to employ a retired teacher under
8    the program established in this Section, the school
9    district must, on an ongoing basis, both (i) advertise its
10    vacancies in the subject shortage area in a newspaper of
11    general circulation in the area in which the school is
12    located and in employment bulletins published by college
13    and university placement offices located near the school;
14    and (ii) search for teachers legally qualified to fill
15    those vacancies through the Illinois Education Job Bank.
16    The school district must submit documentation of its
17compliance with this subsection to the regional
18superintendent. Upon receiving satisfactory documentation from
19the school district, the regional superintendent shall certify
20the district's compliance with this subsection to the System.
21    (f) This Section applies without regard to whether the
22annuitant was in service on or after the effective date of this
23amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly.
24(Source: P.A. 94-129, eff. 7-7-05; 95-910, eff. 8-26-08.)
 
25    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
26becoming law.