ENTITLED An Act to update certain provisions relating to the South Dakota Retirement System, to revise certain provisions relating to reemployment after retirement with the South Dakota Retirement System, and to declare an emergency.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of South Dakota:
Section 1. That a NEW SECTION be added:
3-12C-1400. Three consecutive calendar months of separation described.
For purposes of 3-12C-1401 to 3-12C-1406, inclusive, in order to have three consecutive calendar months of separation that start with the member's effective date of retirement, the member may have no employment or any relationship with a participating unit regardless of classification as part-time, seasonal, temporary, leased, contract, or any other designation, during that time.
Section 2. That 3-12C-1401 be AMENDED.
3-12C-1401. Reemployment of retired member--Separation of service required--Hiring procedures.
Except as provided in 3-12C-1401.1, a retired member's retirement is invalid if the member is reemployed by a participating unit unless the member's employment relationship with the initial participating unit has been terminated, as defined in this chapter and as required pursuant to Revenue Ruling 57-115 by the Internal Revenue Service, and the member has been separated from service for three consecutive calendar months after the member's effective date of retirement. The initial participating unit's system representative shall certify to the system that the termination of the employment relationship took place. In addition, any second participating unit shall subject the member to all proceedings and requirements associated with the hiring and employment of any new employee by the second participating unit, and that unit's system representative shall so certify to the system. If a single participating unit is both the member's initial participating unit and the member's second participating unit, the unit shall follow all termination procedures and all hiring procedures relative to the member as outlined by this section, and its chief executive officer, the officer's agent, or the chair of the unit's governing commission or board shall so certify.
Section 3. That a NEW SECTION be added:
3-12C-1401.1. Reemployment of retired member--Limited exception to separation of service requirement.
The provisions of 3-12C-1401 do not apply if the retired member is at least fifty-nine and a half years of age when the member begins receiving retirement benefits and is employed for less than twelve hundred fifty hours during the fiscal year of the participating unit. However, if the retired member completes twelve hundred fifty hours or more during a fiscal year of the participating unit, the member's benefits shall be suspended. The suspension ceases if the member terminates employment. If the member is subsequently reemployed, the provisions of 3-12C-1401, 3-12C-1405, and 3-12C-1406 apply, where applicable.
Section 4. That 3-12C-1405 be AMENDED.
3-12C-1405. Retired members--Reentrance to covered employment--Benefits and membership.
Except as provided in 3-12C-1405.1, if a retired member reenters covered employment at some time after the three consecutive calendar months that start with the member's effective date of retirement, the member's retirement benefits and continued membership shall be administered pursuant to this section.
The member's monthly retirement benefit shall be reduced by fifteen percent and the annual increase shall be eliminated throughout the period that the member reenters covered employment. The reduction and elimination shall cease if the member again terminates covered employment. However, the reduction and elimination do not apply if the member retired as a Class B member other than a justice, judge, or magistrate judge and subsequently reenters covered employment as a Class A member.
The contributions required of the member shall be deposited by the member's participating unit with the system for the benefit of the member to be transferred to an account within the deferred compensation program established pursuant to chapter 3-13. The contributions shall be governed by 457 of the Internal Revenue Code. However, the contributions required of the member's employer unit shall be deposited into the fund created by this chapter, but with no association or credit to the member. The member may not earn any additional benefits associated with the period that the member reenters covered employment.
The provisions of this section do not apply to a Class D member who reenters covered employment.
Section 5. That a NEW SECTION be added:
3-12C-1405.1. Reemployment of retired member--Limited exception to benefit and membership provisions for part-time employment.
The provisions of 3-12C-1405 do not apply if the retired member is reemployed for less than twelve hundred fifty hours during the fiscal year of the participating unit. However, if the retired member completes twelve hundred fifty hours or more during a fiscal year of the participating unit, the provisions of 3-12C-1405 apply immediately.
Section 6. That a NEW SECTION be added:
3-12C-1405.2. Reemployment of retired member--Employer tracking.
Any participating unit employing a retired member for less than twelve hundred fifty hours during the fiscal year of the participating unit is responsible for tracking the hours of the employee and certifying the hours to the system on a monthly basis.
Section 7. That 3-12C-1406 be AMENDED.
3-12C-1406. Invalid retirement--Repayment of retirement benefit payments.
Except as provided in 3-12C-1401.1, if a retired member reenters employment within the three consecutive calendar months that start with the member's effective date of retirement, the member's retirement is deemed invalid. If the member received one or more retirement benefit payments during the invalid retirement, the member shall repay the payments as a lump sum immediately, repay the payments by contractual payments over a period of up to three years, which payments shall include interest at the assumed rate of return, or repay the payments by an actuarial equivalent reduction in eventual monthly benefits.
Section 8. That 3-12C-101 be AMENDED.
3-12C-101. Definitions.
Terms as used in this chapter mean:
(1) "Actuarial accrued liability," the present value of all benefits less the present value of future normal cost contributions;
(2) "Actuarial experience analysis," a periodic report that reviews basic experience data and furnishes actuarial analysis that substantiates the assumptions adopted for the purpose of making an actuarial valuation of the system;
(3) "Actuarial valuation," a projection of the present value of all benefits and the current funded status of the system, based upon stated assumptions as to rates of interest, mortality, disability, salary progressions, withdrawal, and retirement as established by a periodic actuarial experience analysis that takes into account census data of all active members, vested terminated members, and retired members and their beneficiaries under the system;
(4) "Actuarial value funded ratio," the actuarial value of assets divided by the actuarial accrued liability;
(5) "Actuarial value of assets," equal to the fair value of assets;
(6) "Actuarially determined contribution rate," the fixed, statutory contribution rate, no less than the normal cost rate with expenses assuming the minimum COLA, and no greater than the normal cost rate with expenses assuming the maximum COLA;
(7) "Air rescue firefighters," employees of the Department of the Military who are stationed at Joe Foss Field, Sioux Falls, and who are directly involved in firefighting activities on a daily basis;
(8) "Approved actuary," any actuary who is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries or an Associate or a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries who meets the qualification standards of the American Academy of Actuaries to issue actuarial opinions regarding the system or any firm retaining such an actuary on its staff and who is appointed by the board to perform actuarial services;
(9) "Assumed rate of return," the actuarial assumption adopted by the board pursuant to 3-12C-227 as the annual assumed percentage return on trust fund assets, compounded;
(10) "Beneficiary," the person designated by a member of the system to receive any payments after the death of such member;
(11) "Benefits," the amounts paid to a member, spouse, child, or beneficiary as a result of the provisions of this chapter;
(12) "Board," the Board of Trustees of the South Dakota Retirement System;
(13) "Calendar quarter," a period of three calendar months ending March thirty-first, June thirtieth, September thirtieth, or December thirty-first of any year;
(14) "Campus security officers," employees of the Board of Regents whose positions are subject to the minimal educational training standards established by the law enforcement standards commission pursuant to chapter 23-3, who satisfactorily complete the training required by chapter 23-3 within one year of employment, and whose primary duty as sworn law enforcement officers is to preserve the safety of the students, faculty, staff, visitors, and the property of the university. The employer shall file with the system evidence of the appointment as a sworn law enforcement officer at the time of employment and shall file evidence of satisfactory completion of the training program pursuant to chapter 23-3 within one year of employment;
(15) "Certified school employee," any employee of a participating unit who is required to have a certificate as defined in subdivision 13-42-1(3);
(16) "Class A credited service," service credited as a Class A member of the system;
(17) "Class A member," any member other than a Class B member or a Class C member and is either a foundation member or a generational member;
(18) "Class B credited service," service credited as a Class B member of the system;
(19) "Class B member," a member who is a justice, judge, state law enforcement officer, magistrate judge, police officer, firefighter, county sheriff, deputy county sheriff, correctional security staff, parole agent, air rescue firefighter, campus security officer, court services officer, juvenile corrections agent, conservation officer, or park ranger and is either a foundation member or a generational member;
(20) "Class C credited service," service credited as a Class C member of the system;
(21) "Class C member," any member of the cement plant retirement plan including any retiree or any vested member;
(22) "Class D credited service," service credited as a Class D member of the system;
(23) "Class D member," any member that was a member of the Department of Labor and Regulation employees' retirement plan as of June 30, 2020;
(24) "Classified employee," an employee of a public school district who is not required by law to be a certified school employee, an employee of any college or university under the control of the Board of Regents who is not a faculty member or an administrator and comes within the provisions of chapter 3-6D, an employee of a public corporation, an employee of a chartered governmental unit, and any other participating employee not elsewhere provided for in this chapter;
(25) "Comparable level position," a member's position of employment that is generally equivalent to the member's prior position of employment in terms of required education, required experience, required training, required work history, geographic location, and compensation and benefits;
(26) "Conservation officers," employees of the Department of Game, Fish and Parks and the Division of Wildlife or Division of Custer State Park who are employed pursuant to 41-2-11 and whose positions are subject to the requirements as to education and training provided in chapter 23-3;
(27) "Consumer price index," the consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers calculated by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics;
(28) "Contributory service," service to a participating unit during which contributions were made to a South Dakota retirement system, which may not include years of credited service as granted in 3-12C-509 or 3-12C-511;
(29) "Correctional security staff," the warden, deputy warden, and any other correctional staff holding a security position as verified by the Department of Corrections and approved by the Bureau of Human Resources and the Bureau of Finance and Management, and determined by the board as Class B members;
(30) "Court services officers," persons appointed pursuant to 26-7A-8;
(31) "Covered employment," a member's employment as a full-time employee of a participating unit;
(32) "Deputy county sheriff," an employee of a county that is a participating unit, appointed by the board of