General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5443 February Session, 2012 LCO No. 1709 *01709_______APP* Referred to Committee on Appropriations Introduced by: (APP) General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5443 February Session, 2012 LCO No. 1709 *01709_______APP* Referred to Committee on Appropriations Introduced by: (APP) AN ACT CONCERNING BENEFITS FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES UNDER THE TEACHERS' RETIREMENT SYSTEM. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: Section 1. Subsection (d) of section 10-183h of the 2012 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage and applicable with respect to members who died on or after January 1, 2008): [On and after July 1, 1998, the] The surviving spouse of any member who, at the time of death was eligible for a retirement benefit other than a disability benefit and had not filed a waiver of the coparticipant's option, may elect to receive (1) a monthly benefit for life equal to the benefit payable if a one hundred per cent coparticipant's option had been elected or (2) an amount equal to the member's accumulated contributions with credited interest. [An election under this subsection may be made only in cases where (1) the spouse is such member's sole designated beneficiary or where all other designated beneficiaries relinquish all claim to any amounts that may be due them from the system and (2) such member at the time of death was eligible for a retirement benefit other than a disability benefit.] This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: Section 1 from passage and applicable with respect to members who died on or after January 1, 2008 10-183h(d) This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: Section 1 from passage and applicable with respect to members who died on or after January 1, 2008 10-183h(d) Statement of Purpose: To allow the surviving spouse of a member to elect the benefit under subsection (d) of section 10-183h of the general statutes if the member did not waive the coparticipant's option under section 10-183j of the general statutes while the member was actively teaching. [Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]