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Introduced Version Senate Bill 576 History

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Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted
Senate Bill No. 576

(By Senators Jenkins, McCabe, Kessler (Mr. President), Plymale, Chafin and D. Hall )

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         [Introduced March 20, 2013; referred to the Committee on Pensions; and then to the Committee on Finance        .]                      

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A BILL to amend and reenact §33-3-14d of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend and reenact §36-8-13 of said code, all relating to providing for
the transfer of moneys from the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund to the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund for the purpose of satisfying certain amounts due to policemen's and firemen's pension and relief funds; providing that the Municipal Pension Oversight Board or other entity may not seek to recover from a relief or pension fund, the Teachers Retirement System or the state any overpayments received from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund; and that the overpayments are not subject to recovery, offset or litigation.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
    That §33-3-14d of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted; and that §36-8-13 of said code be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
CHAPTER 33. INSURANCE
ARTICLE 3. LICENSING, FEES, AND TAXATION OF INSURANCE.
§33-3-14d. Additional fire and casualty insurance premium tax; allocation of proceeds; effective date.
  (a)(1) For the purpose of providing additional revenue for municipal policemen's and firemen's pension and relief funds and the Teachers Retirement System Reserve Fund and for volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments, there is hereby levied and imposed an additional premium tax equal to one percent of taxable premiums for fire insurance and casualty insurance policies. For purposes of this section, casualty insurance does not include insurance on the life of a debtor pursuant to or in connection with a specific loan or other credit transaction or insurance on a debtor to provide indemnity for payments becoming due on a specific loan or other credit transaction while the debtor is disabled as defined in the policy.
  (2) All moneys collected from this additional tax shall be received by the commissioner and paid by him or her into a special account in the State Treasury, designated the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund: Provided, That on or after January 1, 2010, the commissioner shall pay ten percent of the amount collected to the Teachers Retirement System Reserve Fund created in section eighteen, article seven-a, chapter eighteen of this code, twenty- five percent of the amount collected to the Fire Protection Fund created in section thirty-three of this article for allocation by the Treasurer to volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments and sixty-five percent of the amount collected to the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund: Provided, however, That upon notification by the Municipal Pensions Oversight Board pursuant to the provisions of section eighteen-b, article twenty- two, chapter eight of this code, on or after January 1, 2010, or as soon thereafter as the Municipal Pensions Oversight Board is prepared to receive the funds, sixty-five percent of the amount collected by the commissioner shall be deposited in the Municipal Pensions Security Fund created in section eighteen-b, article twenty-two, chapter eight of this code. The net proceeds of this tax after appropriation thereof by the Legislature is distributed in accordance with the provisions of this section, except for distribution from proceeds pursuant to subsection (d), section eighteen-a, article twenty-two, chapter eight of this code. 
  (b) (1) Before August 1 of each year, the Treasurer of each municipality in which a municipal policemen's or firemen's pension and relief fund is established shall report to the State Treasurer the average monthly number of members who worked at least one hundred hours per month and the average monthly number of retired members of municipal policemen's or firemen's pension and relief fund or the Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement System during the preceding fiscal year: Provided, That beginning in the year 2010 and continuing thereafter, the report shall be made to the oversight board created in section eighteen-a, article twenty-two, chapter eight of this code. These reports received by the oversight board shall be provided annually to the State Treasurer by September 1.
  (2) Before September 1 of each calendar year, the State Treasurer, or the Municipal Pensions Oversight Board, once in operation, shall allocate and authorize for distribution the revenues in the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund which were collected during the preceding calendar year for the purposes set forth in this section. Before September 1 of each calendar year and after the Municipal Pensions Oversight Board has notified the Treasurer and commissioner pursuant to section eighteen-b, article twenty-two, chapter eight of this code, the Municipal Pensions Oversight Board shall allocate and authorize for distribution the revenues in the Municipal Pensions Security Fund which were collected during the preceding calendar year for the purposes set forth in this section. In any year the actuarial report required by section twenty, article twenty-two, chapter eight of this code indicates no actuarial deficiency in the Municipal Policemen's or Firemen's Pension and Relief Fund, no revenues may be allocated from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund or the Municipal Pensions Security Fund to that fund. The revenues from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund shall then be allocated to all other pension and relief funds which have an actuarial deficiency.              
  (3) The moneys, and the interest earned thereon, in the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund allocated to volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments shall be allocated and distributed quarterly to the volunteer fire companies and departments. Before each distribution date, the State Fire Marshal shall report to the State Treasurer the names and addresses of all volunteer and part-volunteer fire companies and departments within the state which meet the eligibility requirements established in section eight-a, article fifteen, chapter eight of this code.
  (c) (1) Each municipal pension and relief fund shall have allocated and authorized for distribution a pro rata share of the revenues allocated to municipal policemen's and firemen's pension and relief Funds based on the corresponding municipality's average monthly number of police officers and firefighters who worked at least one hundred hours per month during the preceding fiscal year. On and after July 1, 1997, from the growth in any moneys collected pursuant to the tax imposed by this section and interest thereon there shall be allocated and authorized for distribution to each municipal pension and relief fund, a pro rata share of the revenues allocated to municipal policemen's and firemen's pension and relief funds based on the corresponding municipality's average number of police officers and firefighters who worked at least one hundred hours per month and average monthly number of retired police officers and firefighters. For the purposes of this subsection, the growth in moneys collected from the tax collected pursuant to this section is determined by subtracting the amount of the tax collected during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, from the tax collected during the fiscal year for which the allocation is being made and interest thereon. All moneys received by municipal pension and relief funds under this section may be expended only for those purposes described in sections sixteen through twenty-eight, inclusive, article twenty-two, chapter eight of this code.
  (2) Each volunteer fire company or department shall receive an equal share of the revenues allocated for volunteer and part- volunteer fire companies and departments.
  (3) In addition to the share allocated and distributed in accordance with subdivision (1) of this subsection, each municipal fire department composed of full-time paid members and volunteers and part-volunteer fire companies and departments shall receive a share equal to the share distributed to volunteer fire companies under subdivision (2) of this subsection reduced by an amount equal to the share multiplied by the ratio of the number of full-time paid fire department members who are also members of a municipal firemen's pension and relief fund or the Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement System to the total number of members of the fire department.
  (d) The allocation and distribution of revenues provided for in this section are subject to the provisions of section twenty, article twenty-two, and sections eight-a and eight-b, article fifteen, chapter eight of this code.
  (e) Based on the findings of an audit by the Treasurer, the Legislature hereby finds and declares that during the period from 1982 through April 27, 2012, allocations from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund were miscalculated and errors were made in amounts transferred, resulting in overpayments and underpayments to the relief and pension funds and to the Teachers Retirement System, and that the relief and pension funds and the Teachers Retirement System were not at fault for any of the overpayments and underpayments. The Legislature hereby further finds and declares that any attempt by the Municipal Pension Oversight Board or other entity to recover any of the overpayments would be unjust and create economic hardship for the entities that received overpayments. No entity, including, without limitation, the Municipal Pension Oversight Board, may seek to recover from a relief or pension fund, the Teachers Retirement System or the state any overpayments received from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund
and the overpayments are not subject to recovery, offset or litigation. Pursuant to the audit by the Treasurer, the amount of $3,631,846.55 is determined owed to specific relief and pension funds. The Treasurer is hereby authorized to transfer the amount of $3,631,846.55 from the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund to the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund, which is hereby reopened for the sole purpose of the transfer and remittances pursuant to this subsection (e), and to use the amount transferred to remit the amounts due to the pension and relief funds. The payment of the $3,631,846.55 to the pension and relief funds is complete satisfaction of any amounts due, and n o entity, including, without limitation, the Municipal Pension Oversight Board and any pension or relief fund, may seek to recover any further amounts.
CHAPTER 36. ESTATES AND PROPERTY.
ARTICLE 8. UNIFORM UNCLAIMED PROPERTY ACT.
§36-8-13. Deposit of funds
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  (a) The administrator shall record the name and last known address of each person appearing from the holders reports to be entitled to the property and the name and last known address of each insured person or annuitant and beneficiary and with respect to each policy or annuity listed in the report of an insurance company, its number, the name of the company and the amount due.
  (b) The Unclaimed Property Fund is continued. The administrator shall deposit all funds received pursuant to this article in the Unclaimed Property Fund, including the proceeds from the sale of abandoned property under section twelve of this article. In addition to paying claims of unclaimed property duly allowed, the administrator may deduct the following expenses from the Unclaimed Property Fund:
  (1) Expenses of the sale of abandoned property;
  (2) Expenses incurred in returning the property to owners, including without limitation the costs of mailing and publication to locate owners;
  (3) Reasonable service charge; and
  (4) Expenses incurred in examining records of holders of property and in collecting the property from those holders;

  (c) The Unclaimed Property Trust Fund is continued within the State Treasury. The administrator may invest the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund with the West Virginia Board of Treasury Investments and all earnings shall accrue to the fund and are available for expenditure in accordance with this article. After deducting the expenses specified in subsection (b) of this section and maintaining a sum of money from which to pay claims duly allowed, the administrator shall transfer the remaining moneys in the Unclaimed Property Fund to the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund.
  (d) (1) On July 1, 2009, the unclaimed property administrator shall transfer the amount of $8 million from the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund to the Prepaid Tuition Trust Escrow Fund.
  (2) On or before December 15 of each year, notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, the administrator shall transfer the sum of $1 million from the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund to the Prepaid Tuition Trust Escrow Fund, until the actuary certifies there are sufficient funds to pay out all contracts.
  (e) On or before June 1, 2007, the unclaimed property administrator shall transfer the amount of $2 million from the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund to the Deferred Compensation Matching Fund for operation of the deferred compensation matching program for state employees. On or before June 1, 2008, the unclaimed property administrator shall transfer the amount of $1 million from the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund to the Deferred Compensation Matching Fund for operation of the matching program.
  (f) On or before June 1, 2013, the unclaimed property administrator shall transfer the amount of $3,631,846.55 from the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund to the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund for the purpose of satisfying any amounts due as of April 27, 2012 to policemen's and firemen's pension and relief funds in accordance with §33-3-14d of this code.
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(f) (g) After transferring any money required by subsections (d and (e) through (f) of this section, the administrator shall transfer moneys remaining in the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund to the General Revenue Fund.



     
  NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide for the transfer of $3,631,846.55 from the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund to the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund for the purpose of satisfying any amounts due as of April 27, 2012 to policemen's and firemen's pension and relief funds. The bill also provides that the Municipal Pension Oversight Board or other entity may not seek to recover from a relief or pension fund, the Teachers Retirement System or the state any overpayments received from the Municipal Pensions and Protection Fund, and that the overpayments are not subject to recovery, offset or litigation.


  Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.
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