State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
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90_SB1300

      40 ILCS 5/1-119 new
          Amends the General Provisions  Article  of  the  Illinois
      Pension  Code.  Provides that if an annuitant fails to comply
      with provisions of a domestic relations order  requiring  the
      annuitant  to  pay a portion of his or her retirement annuity
      to another party, the court may issue an order directing  the
      retirement  system  to  deduct  a specific dollar amount from
      each retirement annuity  payment  and  to  issue  a  separate
      payment of the amount deducted to that other party.  Provides
      that  tax  liability  relating  to  the  money  paid  to  the
      alternate payee is the responsibility of the alternate payee.
      Also  provides  that  as  part  of a domestic relations order
      directing a person to pay a portion of a  retirement  annuity
      to  another  party, the court may order the retirement system
      to delay payment of  a  refund  of  retirement  contributions
      arising  from  termination  of  service  until payment of the
      refund has been approved by the court.  Effective January  1,
      1999.
                                                     LRB9008273EGfg
                                               LRB9008273EGfg
 1        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  Illinois  Pension Code by adding
 2    Section 1-119.
 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 adding
 6    Section 1-119 as follows:
 7        (40 ILCS 5/1-119 new)
 8        Sec. 1-119.  Enforcement of domestic relations orders.
 9        (a)  For the purposes of this Section:
10        "Retirement  system"  means  a pension fund or retirement
11    system that is administered under any of Articles  2  through
12    18 of this Code.
13        "Retirement  annuity"  means the periodic benefit payable
14    to a retired member of a retirement system based  on  age  or
15    service  or  the  amounts  accumulated  to  the credit of the
16    member for retirement purposes, including  any  increases  in
17    the benefit that may accrue from time to time, whether or not
18    the  benefit  is  referred to as a "retirement annuity" under
19    the applicable Article of  this  Code.   The  term  does  not
20    include a death or disability benefit, a benefit payable to a
21    survivor, or a refund of contributions.
22        "Annuitant" means a person receiving a retirement annuity
23    from a retirement system.
24        "Alternate  payee" means a person to whom an annuitant is
25    required to pay  a  portion  of  the  annuitant's  retirement
26    annuity under the terms of a domestic relations order.
27        "Domestic  relations  order" means an order made pursuant
28    to an Illinois domestic relations law  other  than  an  order
29    relating to child support issued pursuant to Section 706.1 of
30    the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act.
31        (b)  If an annuitant fails to comply with provisions of a
                            -2-                LRB9008273EGfg
 1    domestic  relations  order  requiring  the annuitant to pay a
 2    portion of his or her retirement annuity to another party,  a
 3    court  of  competent  jurisdiction in this State may issue an
 4    order directing the retirement system to  deduct  a  specific
 5    dollar  amount  from  each  retirement annuity payment and to
 6    issue a separate payment of the amount deducted to that other
 7    party.  The amount to be deducted shall not exceed 75% of the
 8    gross retirement annuity while there is an arrearage due  and
 9    shall  not  exceed  50%  of the gross retirement annuity when
10    there is no arrearage.  The order shall apply beginning  with
11    the  next  annuity payment payable at least 30 days after the
12    retirement system's receipt of  the  order  and  ending  upon
13    termination of the retirement annuity or sooner if so ordered
14    by  the  court.    If  the  order provides for a deduction in
15    excess  of  the  amount  permitted  by  this   Section,   the
16    retirement  system  shall deduct only the amount permitted by
17    this Section.
18        The alternate payee shall be responsible  for  any  taxes
19    that  may be due and payable as a result of the payments made
20    to the alternate payee under the order.
21        A separate order is required for each affected retirement
22    system.
23        The  order  to  the  retirement  system   shall   be   in
24    substantially the following form:
25           ORDER FOR WITHHOLDING FROM A RETIREMENT ANNUITY
26                   UNDER THE ILLINOIS PENSION CODE
27        THIS  CAUSE  coming  before  the Court for the purpose of
28    issuance of an order to  enforce  the  terms  of  a  domestic
29    relations  order  issued  on  (date)  requiring  payment of a
30    portion of a retirement annuity to a named party;  the  Court
31    having  jurisdiction  over the parties and the subject matter
32    hereof; the Court finding one of the parties to be in default
33    of the domestic relations order  by  having  failed  to  make
34    payment  to the other party (the alternate payee) as required
                            -3-                LRB9008273EGfg
 1    under the domestic relations order; and the Court being fully
 2    advised; this order  is  entered  to  direct  the  retirement
 3    system to make deductions from the retirement annuity and pay
 4    the deducted amounts directly to the alternate payee:
 5                  IT IS HEREBY ORDERED AS FOLLOWS:
 6        (1)  The  provisions  of  Section  1-119  of the Illinois
 7    Pension Code are adopted by reference and made a part of this
 8    order.  This order is subject to  the  requirements  of  that
 9    Section, including the limitations on amounts to be deducted.
10        (2)  Identification of the retirement system and parties:
11             Retirement System:  (name and address)
12             Annuitant:  (name,   mailing   address,  and  social
13        security number)
14             Alternate payee:  (name, mailing address, and social
15        security number)
16        (3)  Of the annuitant's monthly retirement  benefit,  the
17    retirement  system shall pay to the alternate payee $.... per
18    month for current obligations (and  $....  per  month  on  an
19    arrearage  of  $....  until  the  arrearage  has been paid in
20    full), commencing with the next annuity  payment  payable  at
21    least  30  days after the retirement system's receipt of this
22    order and ending upon termination of the  retirement  annuity
23    or upon further order of the Court.
24        (4)  The  alternate  payee  shall  be responsible for any
25    taxes that may be due and payable as a result of the payments
26    made to the alternate payee under this order.
27        (5)  The Court retains jurisdiction to modify this order.
28    DATE ....................
29    SIGNED ..................
30        (c)  As part of a domestic relations  order  directing  a
31    person  to  pay  a portion of a retirement annuity to another
32    party, a court of competent jurisdiction in  this  State  may
33    order the retirement system to delay payment of any refund of
34    retirement contributions relating to that person that results
                            -4-                LRB9008273EGfg
 1    from  termination  of  employment until payment of the refund
 2    has been approved by the court.
 3        (d)  If a retirement system finds that it  is  unable  to
 4    comply  with  an  order  issued under this Section because it
 5    cannot identify or locate one of the parties, because  of  an
 6    error  in the order, or for any other reason, it shall notify
 7    the parties of the reasons for its inability to comply.   The
 8    retirement system shall not make any payment to the alternate
 9    payee  until  a corrected order is received by the retirement
10    system.
11        (e)  The  provisions  in  other  Articles  of  this  Code
12    exempting annuities and other benefits from legal or judicial
13    process do not apply to orders issued under this Section.
14        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect takes
15    effect January 1, 1999.

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