hb146.html
07 LC 21 9065
House Bill 146
By: Representatives Buckner of the 130th, Jamieson of the 28th, Greene of the 149th, Reece of the 11th, Ashe of the 56th, and others

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT


To amend Chapter 3 of Title 47 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia, so as to provide for a service retirement upon the attainment of 29 years of creditable service; to provide conditions for an effective date and automatic repeal; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

SECTION 1.
Chapter 3 of Title 47 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia, is amended by revising subsection (b) of Code Section 47-3-102, relating to early retirement after 30 years´ service and related matters, as follows:
"(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of Code Section 47-3-101, a member employed pursuant to a contract for each school year who will attain 30 29 years of creditable service by not later than the thirty-first day of December of the ensuing school year shall be eligible to retire effective on the first day of September nearest to the opening date of the ensuing school year on the basis of 30 29 years of creditable service, subject to the following conditions and requirements:
(1) The member must apply for early retirement pursuant to the authority of this Code section to the board of trustees, with a copy of such application being sent to the member´s employer, by not later than the first day of May immediately preceding the opening date of the ensuing school year; and
(2) The member must pay to the board of trustees an amount determined by the board of trustees to be sufficient to cover the full actuarial cost of granting early retirement as provided in this Code section."

SECTION 2.
Said chapter is further amended by revising subsection (b) of Code Section 47-3-120, relating to allowance on service retirement under the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia and related matters, as follows:
"(b) In the case of any member who has less than 30 29 years of creditable service and if such member has not reached the age of 60 years upon retirement, the service allowance set forth in subsection (a) of this Code section shall be reduced by the lesser of one-twelfth of 7 percent for each month by which his or her age at the time of retirement is below 60 years or by 7 percent for each year or fraction of a year by which the member has less than 30 29 years of creditable service at the time of retirement. This reduction shall not apply in calculating the service allowance for disability retirement or death. Any member who retired with 30 29 or more years of creditable service and whose retirement benefits were reduced because such member retired at an age below the normal retirement age in effect at the time such member retired shall be entitled to an adjusted retirement benefit based upon a calculation made without the application of the age reduction factor. Any member retiring with less than 30 29 years of creditable service or who has not obtained the age of 60 at the time of retirement shall not become eligible for postretirement benefit adjustments as provided in Code Section 47-3-126 until such time as the member reaches the age of 60 or would have obtained 30 29 years of creditable service, whichever occurs earlier."

SECTION 3.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2008, only if it is determined to have been concurrently funded as provided in Chapter 20 of Title 47 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, the "Public Retirement Systems Standards Law"; otherwise, this Act shall not become effective and shall be automatically repealed in its entirety on July 1, 2008, as required by subsection (a) of Code Section 47-20-50.

SECTION 4.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.