SENATE BILL No. 524

 

 

May 23, 2007, Introduced by Senator PATTERSON and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1992 PA 234, entitled

 

"The judges retirement act of 1992,"

 

(MCL 38.2101 to 38.2670) by adding sections 513 and 514.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 513. (1) Effective July 1, 2007, the retirement allowance

 

payable to a retirant or beneficiary of a deceased retirant under

 

Tier 1 is supplemented by the amount determined under subsection

 

(2).

 

     (2) On or before April 1 of each state fiscal year, the

 

retirement system shall determine the amount by which the actuarial

 

value of the assets in Tier 1 exceed the present value of expected

 

future benefit payments for Tier 1 beneficiaries. If the amount by

 

which the actuarial value of the assets in Tier 1 exceed the

 

present value of expected future benefit payments for Tier 1

 


beneficiaries is an amount that will allow retirants and retirement

 

allowance beneficiaries to receive individual increases of $900.00

 

per year, the retirement system shall grant an increase of $900.00

 

per year to each retirant and retirement allowance beneficiary

 

receiving retirement payments under this act. In any year in which

 

the actuarial value of assets exceeds the present value of expected

 

future benefit payments by an amount less than the value of $900.00

 

per retirant, the increase shall be reduced on a pro rata basis to

 

reflect an amount less than $900.00 per retirant. If the actuarial

 

value of assets does not exceed the present value of expected

 

future benefits, no increase will be given for that year.

 

     (3) The percentage of final compensation limits of section 503

 

do not apply to the increase authorized by this section.

 

     (4) The recalculated retirement allowance shall be the basis

 

on which future adjustments to the retirement allowance are

 

calculated.

 

     (5) The supplement provided by this section shall be

 

calculated pursuant to subsection (2) and shall be paid annually.

 

For a retirant or beneficiary of a deceased retirant who is

 

eligible to receive a supplement under this section, who is

 

receiving a retirement allowance pursuant to service credited under

 

the former judges retirement system, and who is receiving a

 

retirement allowance pursuant to service credited under the former

 

probate judges retirement system, the retirement system, pursuant

 

to this section, shall only supplement the retirement allowance

 

that is the largest in amount. If a retirant dies before December

 

31, 2007 and no benefits become payable under section 506 or 508,

 


the retirant's retirement allowance shall not be supplemented under

 

this section.

 

     Sec. 514. (1) Effective July 1, 2007, the retirement allowance

 

payable to a retirant or beneficiary of a deceased retirant who

 

meets the requirements of subsection (2) under Tier 1 is

 

supplemented by 67%.

 

     (2) To qualify for the supplement in subsection (1), all of

 

the following shall apply to a retirant of Tier 1:

 

     (a) The retirant was potentially eligible to purchase 2 years'

 

service credit under this act, the former judge's retirement

 

system, or the former probate judge's retirement system because the

 

retirant served honorably on active duty as a member of the armed

 

services of the United States.

 

     (b) The retirant was unable to purchase the service credit

 

while a member because the retirant had not accumulated 12 years of

 

credited service.

 

     (c) The retirant was greater than 60 years of age when he or

 

she entered the system and was prevented from accumulating 12 years

 

of credited service by the mandatory retirement age for judges

 

found in section 19(3) of article VI of the state constitution of

 

1963.

 

     (3) The percentage of final compensation limits of section 503

 

do not apply to the increase authorized by this section.

 

     (4) The recalculated retirement allowance shall be the basis

 

on which future adjustments to the retirement allowance are

 

calculated.

 

     (5) The supplement provided by this section shall be paid

 


annually. For a retirant or beneficiary of a deceased retirant who

 

is eligible to receive a supplement under this section, who is

 

receiving a retirement allowance pursuant to service credited under

 

the former judges retirement system, and who is receiving a

 

retirement allowance pursuant to service credited under the former

 

probate judges retirement system, the retirement system, pursuant

 

to this section, shall only supplement the retirement allowance

 

that is the largest in amount. If a retirant dies before December

 

31, 2007 and no benefits become payable under section 506 or 508,

 

the retirant's retirement allowance shall not be supplemented under

 

this section.