An Act To Eliminate Retirement Benefits and Paid Health Insurance for Legislators Elected after 2016
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 3 MRSA §801, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2007, c. 491, §18, is further amended to read:
1. Membership mandatory. Every Except for a Legislator elected for the first time after 2016, every Legislator serving in the Legislature on or after December 3, 1986 is a member of the Legislative Retirement Program, except that any Legislator who was a member of the Maine State Retirement System on December 2, 1986 may choose to be a member of the State Employee and Teacher Retirement Program instead of becoming a member of the Legislative Retirement Program, and any Legislator who is a public school teacher or an employee of the Maine Community College System on leave of absence for the purpose of serving in the Legislature continues to be a member of the State Employee and Teacher Retirement Program and to have contributions deducted from the member's legislative earnable compensation as provided by Title 5, section 17701. A Legislator who terminates employment from a position requiring membership in the State Employee and Teacher Retirement Program no longer contributes to the State Employee and Teacher Retirement Program and, if qualified, is eligible to become a benefit recipient under Title 5, section 17804. Upon such termination, the Legislator becomes a member of the Legislative Retirement Program. Except as provided in section 802, subsection 4, paragraph A, creditable service granted under the State Employee and Teacher Retirement Program may not be transferred to the Legislative Retirement Program. A member ceases to be a member when the member withdraws the member's contributions, becomes a beneficiary as a result of the member's own retirement or dies. A Legislator elected for the first time after 2016 may not be a member of the Legislative Retirement Program.
SUMMARY
This bill prohibits a Legislator elected for the first time after 2016 from being a member of the Legislative Retirement Program, which also removes the Legislator from eligibility for a post-retirement state group health plan.