HB2015 - 561R

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 38-842.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE38-842.01. Benefit election; eligibility; disability; death; employees hired on or after July 1, 2017

A. An employee who is hired on or after July 1, 2017 and who was not an active, an inactive or a retired member of the system or a member of the system with a disability on June 30, 2017 is eligible to participate in the system or the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to article 4.1 of this chapter, depending on the employee's election under this section. The employee's participation in either the system or the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to article 4.1 of this chapter begins ninety days after the date the employee is hired. Unless the elections made under this section are made before the ninetieth day after the date of employment, the employee is automatically enrolled in the system for the remainder of the employee's employment with any employer under the system. Any election made under this section is irrevocable and is the employee's election for the remainder of the employee's employment with any employer under the system, regardless of whether the employee's employment is continuous. If an employee is subsequently rehired after a bona fide termination of employment from the employee's employer of not less than six months with no prearranged reemployment AGREEMENT with the employer or hired by a new employer, the employee may make a new election under this section before the ninetieth day after the date of hire. If the employee does not make a new election within that time frame, the employee's previous election will continue. The employee may make one of the following irrevocable elections:

1. To participate solely in the system.

2. To participate solely in the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to article 4.1 of this chapter.

B. An employee who makes an election to participate solely in the system or is automatically enrolled in the system pursuant to subsection A of this section and who is not covered by the federal old age and survivors insurance system is also enrolled in the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to article 4.1 of this chapter during any period that the employee is not covered by the federal old age and survivors insurance system through an employer under the system. If such employee is subsequently covered by the federal old age and survivors insurance system, the employee and the employer may not make any contributions on the employee's behalf to the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to article 4.1 of this chapter that are described in section 38-867, subsection A, paragraph 1 or subsection B during the period the employee is covered by the federal old age and survivors insurance system. If at any later time the employee is not covered by the federal old age and survivors insurance system through an employer under the system, the employee and the employer shall again be required to contribute on behalf of the employee to the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to article 4.1 of this chapter as required by section 38-867, subsection A, paragraph 1 and, if the employee made an irrevocable election to contribute more of the employee's gross pensionable compensation to the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan as provided in section 38-867, subsection B, such contributions shall be reestablished for the period the employee is not covered by the federal old age and survivors insurance system.

C. If an employee in the employee's first ninety days of employment is determined to be eligible for an accidental or catastrophic disability pension pursuant to section 38-844, the employee shall be automatically enrolled in the system for the remainder of the employee's employment with any employer under the system commencing on the employee's date of disability and shall receive an accidental or catastrophic disability pension as prescribed in this article.

D. If an employee in the employee's first ninety days of employment is killed in the line of duty or dies from injuries suffered in the line of duty, the employee shall be considered as having been enrolled in the system and the surviving spouse of the deceased employee is eligible for survivor benefits as prescribed in this article. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Section 38-867, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE38-867. Contributions; member; employer; pickup

A. Each participant in the defined contribution plan shall contribute the following percentage of the participant's gross pensionable compensation by salary reduction that shall be deposited in the participant's annuity account:

1. For a participant as defined in section 38-865, paragraph 7, subdivision (a), item (ii), three percent.

2. For a participant as defined in section 38-865, paragraph 7, subdivision (a), item (i), nine percent.

3. For a participant as defined in section 38-865, paragraph 7, subdivision (b), seven percent.

B. A participant as defined in section 38-865 may make a onetime irrevocable election, before the participant is eligible to participate in any qualified plan of the employer, to contribute more than the percentage of the participant's gross pensionable compensation specified in this section, up to the amount allowable under section 415(c) of the internal revenue code. A participant as defined in section 38-865, paragraph 7, subdivision (b) may make a onetime irrevocable election, before the participant is eligible to participate in any qualified plan of the employer, to contribute less than the percentage of the participant's gross pensionable compensation specified in this section but may not elect to contribute less than five percent of the participant's gross pensionable compensation. The election made pursuant to this subsection shall be the participant's contribution rate for the remainder of the participant's employment with any employer under the system or the corrections officer retirement plan, as applicable.

C. Although designated as employee contributions, all participant contributions made to the defined contribution plan shall be picked up and paid by the employer in lieu of contributions by the employee. The contributions picked up by an employer may be made through a reduction in the participant's compensation. A participant in the defined contribution plan may not choose to receive the contributed amounts directly instead of the employer paying the amounts to the defined contribution plan. All participant contributions that are picked up by the employer as provided in this subsection shall be treated as employer contributions under section 414(h) of the internal revenue code, shall be excluded from the participant's gross income for federal and state income tax purposes and are includable in the gross income of the participant or the participant's beneficiaries only in the taxable year in which they are distributed.

D. Each employer shall annually make a contribution equal to the following percentages of each participant's gross pensionable compensation:

1. For a participant as defined in section 38-865, paragraph 7, subdivision (a), item (ii), three percent.

2. For a participant as defined in section 38-865, paragraph 7, subdivision (a), item (i), nine percent.

3. For a participant as defined in section 38-865, paragraph 7, subdivision (b), five percent.

E. The pro rata share of the amount paid in subsection D of this section shall be paid on each date that a participant contribution is made and shall be credited to the participant's annuity account.

F. A participant of the defined contribution plan may not take loans on any portion of the accumulated assets in the participant's annuity account.

G. Each participant as defined in section 38-865, paragraph 7, subdivision (a), item (i) and subdivision (b) and each employer shall contribute:

1. To the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan disability program established by article 4.2 of this chapter.

2. For participants who make an election pursuant to section 38-869, an equal amount for the group health benefits plan payments as specified in section 38-869 as determined by actuarial valuations reported by the board to the employer and local board, which shall be deposited in a separate account established pursuant to section 38-869.

H. A participant's contributions and earnings on those contributions are immediately vested.

I. A participant as defined in section 38-865, paragraph 7, subdivision (a) or section 38-865.01 is fully vested in the defined contribution plan after ten years of service, with employer contributions vesting at a rate of ten percent per year. If a participant described in this subsection dies or is determined to be eligible for an accidental or catastrophic disability pension pursuant to section 38-844 before completing ten years of service, the employer contributions are immediately fully vested.

J. A participant as defined in section 38-865, paragraph 7, subdivision (b) is fully vested in the defined contribution plan after three years of service, with the employer contributions vesting at the following rates:

1. Twenty-five percent after the first year of service.

2. Fifty percent after the second year of service.

3. One hundred percent after the third year of service.

K. If a participant as defined in section 38-865, paragraph 7, subdivision (b) dies or is determined to be eligible for an accidental or total and permanent disability pension pursuant to section 38-886 before completing three years of service, the employer contributions are immediately fully vested. END_STATUTE

Sec. 3. Section 38-881.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE38-881.01. Employees hired on or after July 1, 2018; defined contribution plan; benefit election; disability

A. Except as provided in subsection B of this section, an employee who is hired on or after July 1, 2018, who is a member as defined in section 38-881, paragraph 27, subdivision (a) and who was not an active, an inactive or a retired member of the plan or a member of the plan with a disability on June 30, 2018 shall participate in the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to article 4.1 of this chapter. For an employee who is hired on or after September 1, 2019, the employee's participation in the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to article 4.1 of this chapter begins ninety days after the date the employee is hired.

B. An employee who is hired on or after July 1, 2018, who is in a designated position as defined in section 38-881, paragraph 13, subdivision (g) and who was not an active, an inactive or a retired member of the plan or a member of the plan with a disability on June 30, 2018 is eligible to participate in the corrections officer retirement plan or the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to article 4.1 of this chapter, depending on the employee's election under this section. During the first sixty days of an employee's employment and before the employee makes a decision regarding the individual's retirement plan, the board shall provide each probation and surveillance officer who is hired on or after July 1, 2018 interactive, objective educational training, counseling and participant-specific plan information about both the corrections officer retirement plan and the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan options. The employee's participation in either the plan or the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to article 4.1 of this chapter begins ninety days after the date the employee is hired. Unless the elections made under this section are made before the ninetieth day after the date of employment, the employee is automatically enrolled in the plan for the remainder of the employee's employment with any employer under the plan. Any election made under this section is irrevocable and is the employee's election for the remainder of the employee's employment with any employer under the plan, regardless of whether the employee's employment is continuous. If an employee is subsequently rehired after a bona fide termination of employment from the employee's employer of not less than six months with no prearranged reemployment AGREEMENT with the employer or hired by a new employer, the employee may make a new election under this section before the ninetieth day after the date of hire. If the employee does not make a new election within that time frame, the employee's previous election will continue. The employee may make one of the following irrevocable elections:

1. To participate solely in the corrections officer retirement plan.

2. To participate solely in the public safety personnel defined contribution retirement plan established pursuant to article 4.1 of this chapter.

C. If an employee specified in subsection B of this section in the employee's first ninety days of employment is determined to be eligible for an accidental or total and permanent disability pension pursuant to section 38-886, the employee shall be automatically enrolled in the corrections officer retirement plan for the remainder of the employee's employment with any employer under the plan commencing on the employee's date of disability and shall receive an accidental or total and permanent disability pension as prescribed in this article.

D. If an employee specified in subsection B of this section in the employee's first ninety days of employment is killed in the line of duty or dies from injuries suffered in the line of duty, the employee shall be considered as having been enrolled in the corrections officer retirement plan and the surviving spouse of the deceased employee is eligible for survivor benefits as prescribed in this article. END_STATUTE