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H. 3203
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Jennings and Bales
Document Path: l:\council\bills\ggs\22727htc03.doc
Companion/Similar bill(s): 3, 80
Introduced in the House on January 14, 2003
Currently residing in the House Committee on Ways and Means
Summary: State employees terminated due to budget cuts; agencies to buy retirement years; continued health and dental insurance; provisions
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date Body Action Description with journal page number ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12/11/2002 House Prefiled 12/11/2002 House Referred to Committee on Ways and Means 1/14/2003 House Introduced and read first time HJ-79 1/14/2003 House Referred to Committee on Ways and Means HJ-80 4/23/2003 House Member(s) request name removed as sponsor: Bailey
View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 9-1-1520, SO AS TO REQUIRE STATE AGENCIES TO PURCHASE RETIREMENT SERVICE CREDIT OF UP TO THREE YEARS FOR AN EMPLOYEE FOR WHOM SUCH A PURCHASE WOULD QUALIFY HIM FOR SERVICE RETIREMENT WITH AN IMMEDIATE ANNUITY FOR AN EMPLOYEE TERMINATED AS A RESULT OF AN AGENCY REDUCTION IN FORCE CAUSED BY A MANDATED REDUCTION IN THE AGENCY BUDGET, TO PROVIDE THAT THESE EMPLOYEES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR STATE-PAID HEALTH AND DENTAL INSURANCE; TO PROVIDE FOR STATE-PAID HEALTH AND DENTAL INSURANCE FOR STATE EMPLOYEES TERMINATED DUE TO BUDGET REDUCTION FOR A YEAR FOLLOWING TERMINATION OR UNTIL THEY EARLIER OBTAIN SIMILAR COVERAGE, TO REQUIRE THAT TERMINATED EMPLOYEES RETURNING TO SERVICE WITHIN A TWO-YEAR PERIOD HAVE THEIR BENEFITS CALCULATED AS IF THERE HAD BEEN NO BREAK IN SERVICE, AND TO PERMIT THESE EMPLOYEES TO PURCHASE RETIREMENT AND LEAVE BENEFITS.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Article 1, Chapter 1, Title 9 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 9-1-1520. (A) When certified in writing by an agency director that a state employee has been terminated after November 30, 2002, as a result of an agency reduction in force caused by a mandated reduction in the agency budget, and the terminated employee does not have sufficient creditable service to qualify for service retirement with an immediate annuity, including early retirement pursuant to Section 9-1-1515, but is eligible to establish service credit sufficient to allow the employee to retire under service retirement with an immediate annuity and the amount of service credit required to be established is three years or less, then the terminated employee is eligible to have his employer, by means of an employer contribution, make the payment to establish credit for the employee. To be eligible to have this employer-paid contribution, the employee must retire. Employer contributions made pursuant to this section are made pursuant to Section 9-1-1140(H) or 9-11-50(H). Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 1-11-730, or any other provision of law, persons for whom service credit is purchased by their employer pursuant to this section qualify for state-paid health and dental insurance.
(B) When certified by an agency director that a state employee participating in a state health and dental insurance plan is terminated because of an agency reduction in force caused by a mandated reduction in the agency budget, then the terminated employee shall continue to receive health and dental insurance plan coverage the employee carried while employed. The coverage must be continued for a period not to exceed one year after the date of termination or until the former employee has obtained substantially equivalent coverage, whichever occurs first. During the one-year period of coverage, the full amount of both the employer and employee share of premium must be paid by the terminating agency.
(C) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a state employee who is terminated as a result of an agency reduction in force caused by a mandated reduction in the agency budget who is subsequently re-employed in state government within a two-year period shall have his state employment benefits calculated as if there had been no break in state service. After re-employment an employee has the option to purchase the retirement service credit for this period of time as an approved leave of absence. Within thirty days of being re-employed an employee also has the option to repurchase from the hiring agency any or all of the leave previously paid to the employee at the same per day rate as the former employee was compensated."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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