The Committee on Ways and Means proposes the following amendment (LC-5230.SA0005H):

Amend the bill, as and if amended, SECTION 2, Section 9-8-40(1), by adding an item to read:

  (b) All full-time masters-in-equity on July 1, 2024, who have not retired may elect to become a member of the system. Masters-in-equity making that election may transfer prior service into the system as provided in Section 9-8-50, and to the extent the service thus transferred occurred after the member took office as a master-in-equity, that service is deemed earned service in the system.

Amend the bill further, by adding an appropriately numbered SECTION to read:

SECTION X. Section 9-8-10(16) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 (16) "Judge" means a justice of the Supreme Court or a judge of the court of appeals, circuit or family court of the State of South Carolina. Subject to the provisions of Section 9-8-40, "judge" also means an administrative law judge or a full-time master-in-equity.