SLS 20RS-11 ORIGINAL 2020 Regular Session SENATE BILL NO. 7 BY SENATOR PRICE MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEE RET. Provides relative to benefit payments. (6/30/20) 1 AN ACT 2 To amend and reenact R.S. 11:1756, relative to benefit payments at the Municipal 3 Employees' Retirement System; to provide for limitations; to provide for an effective 4 date; and to provide for related matters. 5 Notice of intention to introduce this Act has been published. 6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana: 7 Section 1. R.S. 11:1756 is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows: 8 ยง1756. Application for benefits; commencement of benefits; payment of benefits 9 A. A member or survivor eligible for a benefit of this Chapter shall make 10 application for such benefit to the board. 11 B. The benefit shall commence upon the first day of the first month 12 following withdrawal of the member from employment, provided such retirement 13 received board approval, except that the retirement allowance for an eligible vested 14 member shall commence on the first day of the first month following application for 15 benefits and subsequent board approval. 16 C. The retirement allowance shall be paid in equal monthly installments for 17 life and shall not be increased, decreased, revoked, or repealed except for error or Page 1 of 2 Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law; words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 7 SLS 20RS-11 ORIGINAL 1 where otherwise specifically provided by law. 2 D. If a written application for any benefit is received by the board sixty 3 or fewer days after the date the applicant became eligible for the benefit, 4 benefits shall be paid retroactive to the date of eligibility. If an application for 5 any benefit is received by the board more than sixty days after the date the 6 applicant attained eligibility, retroactive benefits shall be paid only for the sixty 7 days prior to the date the application is received by the board. 8 Section 2. This Act shall become effective on June 30, 2020; if vetoed by the 9 governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become effective on 10 June 30, 2020, or on the day following such approval by the legislature, whichever is later. The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Margaret M. Corley. DIGEST SB 7 Original 2020 Regular Session Price Present law provides that a member or survivor eligible for a benefit from the Municipal Employees' Retirement System (MERS) shall make application for such benefit to the board. Present law provides that the retirement allowance for a member shall commence on the first day of the first month following application for benefits and subsequent board approval. Proposed law provides that if a written application for any benefit is received by the board within sixty days of the date the applicant became eligible for the benefit, benefits shall be paid retroactive to the date of eligibility. Proposed law further provides that if an application for any benefit is received by the board more than sixty days after the date the applicant became eligible, retroactive benefits shall be paid only for the sixty days prior to the date the application is received by the board. Effective June 30, 2020. (Amends R.S. 11:1756) Page 2 of 2 Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law; words in boldface type and underscored are additions.