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                                                      PRINTER'S NO. 4256

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 2998 Session of 1990


        INTRODUCED BY JAMES, HOWLETT, CARN, WOGAN, DONATUCCI, PRESTON,
           O'BRIEN, COHEN, RIEGER, ROBINSON, GIGLIOTTI, DEMPSEY,
           JACKSON, MELIO, ANGSTADT, KENNEY, BELFANTI, TIGUE, PESCI,
           McNALLY, PISTELLA, JOHNSON, JOSEPHS, HUGHES, CIVERA, STABACK,
           NAHILL, WILLIAMS, THOMAS, FOX, TRELLO, MURPHY, OLIVER,
           KOSINSKI, EVANS, KAISER, LINTON, ACOSTA, RICHARDSON, HAYDEN,
           HARPER AND ROEBUCK, NOVEMBER 12, 1990

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, NOVEMBER 12, 1990

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of December 13, 1988 (P.L.1192, No.147),
     2     entitled "An act requiring municipal retirement systems to
     3     pay special ad hoc postretirement adjustments to certain
     4     retired police officers and firefighters; providing for the
     5     financing of these adjustments; providing for the
     6     administration of the Commonwealth's reimbursements for these
     7     adjustments; and making repeals," extending the provisions of
     8     the act to include survivors of police officers and
     9     firefighters; and providing for a supplement from the General
    10     Fund.

    11     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    12  hereby enacts as follows:
    13     Section 1.  Section 102 of the act of December 13, 1988
    14  (P.L.1192, No.147), known as the Special Ad Hoc Municipal Police
    15  and Firefighter Postretirement Adjustment Act, is amended by
    16  adding a definition to read:
    17  Section 102.  Definitions.
    18     The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
    19  have the meanings given to them in this section unless the


     1  context clearly indicates otherwise:
     2     * * *
     3     "Survivor."  A person who, on the effective date of this act,
     4  is a survivor of a police officer or firefighter and who is
     5  receiving survivor benefits from a public employee retirement
     6  system.
     7     Section 2.  Sections 301, 302 and 702 of the act are amended
     8  to read:
     9  Section 301.  Entitlement to special ad hoc adjustment.
    10     A municipal retirement system shall pay a retired police
    11  officer or firefighter or the survivor of a retired police
    12  officer or firefighter a special ad hoc municipal police and
    13  firefighter postretirement adjustment under this chapter if all
    14  of the following apply:
    15         (1)  The retiree has terminated active employment with
    16     the municipality as a police officer or firefighter.
    17         (2)  The retiree is receiving a retirement annuity,
    18     retirement benefit, service pension or disability pension
    19     benefit from a municipal retirement system on the basis of
    20     active employment with a municipality as a police officer or
    21     firefighter.
    22         [(3)  The retiree began receiving the retirement annuity,
    23     retirement benefit, service pension or disability pension
    24     benefit before January 1, 1985.]
    25  Section 302.  Amount of special ad hoc adjustment.
    26     (a)  General rule.--Except as provided in [subsections (b)
    27  and] subsection (c), a municipal retirement system shall pay a
    28  retired police officer [or], firefighter or survivor a special
    29  ad hoc municipal police and firefighter postretirement
    30  adjustment under section 301.[, as follows:
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     1         (1)  The sum of $25 a month, if on January 1, 1989, the
     2     retiree has been retired at least five years but less than
     3     ten years.
     4         (2)  The sum of $50 a month, if on January 1, 1989, the
     5     retiree is totally disabled and has been retired less than
     6     ten years.
     7         (3)  The sum of $75 a month, if on January 1, 1989, the
     8     retiree has been retired at least ten years but less than 20
     9     years.
    10         (4)  The sum of $150 a month, if on January 1, 1989, the
    11     retiree has been retired at least 20 years.]
    12  Postretirement adjustments shall be granted annually for all
    13  retirees and survivors by an amount determined in accordance
    14  with the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers published
    15  by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of
    16  Labor.
    17     (b)  Retirement date.--In the case of a special ad hoc
    18  postretirement adjustment payable to a survivor, the benefit
    19  amounts shall be based on the retirement date of the retiree.
    20     [(b)] (c)  Limitation.--If, under section 301, a retiree is
    21  entitled to be paid a special ad hoc municipal police and
    22  firefighter postretirement adjustment by more than one municipal
    23  retirement system, the amount of the special ad hoc adjustment
    24  under subsection (a) shall be reduced so that the total of all
    25  these adjustments paid to the retiree does not exceed the amount
    26  specified in subsection (a).
    27     [(c)  Modification in amount of postretirement adjustment.--
    28  If a retiree entitled to receive a special ad hoc municipal
    29  police and firefighters postretirement adjustment will receive a
    30  postretirement adjustment from the applicable municipal police
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     1  or paid firefighters pension plan after the effective date of
     2  this act, the amount of the special ad hoc postretirement
     3  adjustment under subsection (a) shall be reduced by the total
     4  amount of any municipal postretirement adjustment.]
     5     (d)  Construction.--[Subsections (b) and] Subsection (c)
     6  shall not be construed to reduce the amount of any retirement
     7  annuity, retirement benefit, service pension or disability
     8  pension benefit payable to a retiree immediately prior to the
     9  effective date of this act.
    10  Section 702.  Deposits into special account.
    11     Notwithstanding any applicable provision of the act of May
    12  12, 1943 (P.L.259, No.120), referred to as the Foreign Casualty
    13  Insurance Premium Tax Allocation Law, or any applicable
    14  provisions of the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as
    15  the Tax Reform Code of 1971, or the provisions of sections
    16  402(b) and 803(c) of the act of December 18, 1984 (P.L.1005,
    17  No.205), known as the Municipal Pension Plan Funding Standard
    18  and Recovery Act, beginning on January 1, 1990, prior to the
    19  deposit of the proceeds of the insurance premium tax on foreign
    20  casualty insurance premiums into the General Municipal Pension
    21  System State Aid Program revenue account, an amount sufficient
    22  to provide for the Commonwealth's reimbursement payments to
    23  municipalities for special ad hoc adjustments [under this act]
    24  provided to retirees under section 302(a) shall be deposited in
    25  the separate account created under section 701.
    26     Section 3.  The act is amended by adding a section to read:
    27  Section 703.  Supplement from General Fund.
    28     (a)  Reimbursement amount.--An amount sufficient to reimburse
    29  municipalities for special ad hoc adjustments provided to
    30  survivors under section 302(b) in the first year shall be paid
    19900H2998B4256                  - 4 -

     1  from the General Fund.
     2     (b)  Supplemental amounts.--Should the amount required to
     3  reimburse municipalities for special ad hoc adjustments to
     4  retirees under section 302(a) decrease after the first year, an
     5  amount equal to the decrease shall be deposited in the separate
     6  account created under section 701 and shall be used to reimburse
     7  municipalities for special ad hoc adjustments provided to
     8  survivors under section 302(b). If the amount of this deposit is
     9  not sufficient to reimburse municipalities for provision of
    10  adjustments to survivors under section 302(b), the difference
    11  between the amount of this deposit and the amount required shall
    12  be paid from the General Fund.
    13     Section 4.  Sections 901(a) and 902(a) of the act are amended
    14  to read:
    15  Section 901.  Municipal retirement system certification of
    16                 adjustments paid.
    17     (a)  Certification.--Beginning January 1, 1989, the chief
    18  administrative officer of a municipal retirement system that
    19  pays a special ad hoc adjustment in that year shall certify the
    20  total of all adjustments paid during that year to the Auditor
    21  General not later than April 1 of the following year. The
    22  adjustments paid to retirees under section 302(a) and to
    23  survivors under section 302(b) shall be certified separately.
    24     * * *
    25  Section 902.  Commonwealth disbursement of reimbursement
    26                 payment.
    27     (a)  Payment to account.--Not later than June 1 of the year
    28  in which the form is due, the Auditor General shall certify to
    29  the State Treasurer the amount to be deposited into the special
    30  account created in section 701 and the amount to be paid from
    19900H2998B4256                  - 5 -

     1  the General Fund and shall draw a warrant, payable to the
     2  treasurer of the municipality, on the State Treasurer from the
     3  special account created in section 701 for the amount certified
     4  under section 901(a).
     5     * * *
     6     Section 5.  This act shall be retroactive to February 12,
     7  1989.
     8     Section 6.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.















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