(a) Any participant in the General Assembly pension system on July 1, 1985, may elect to (1) transfer to membership in tier I of the state employees retirement system, part A or part B, and receive a refund of the difference between his contributions to the General Assembly Pension Fund and the contributions required for the tier I plan selected by such participant, or (2) receive a lump-sum payment of his total contributions to the General Assembly Pension Fund, plus accumulated interest at six per cent per annum, and transfer to membership in tier II of the state employees retirement system. Such election shall be made not later than December 31, 1985. Any participant electing to transfer to tier I of the state employees retirement system shall receive credit for each year of credited service accrued as a member of the General Assembly pension system as of the date of such transfer. Any participant who elects to receive a lump-sum payment of his total contributions, plus accumulated interest, shall forfeit permanently his accrued rights and accrued credited service under tier I of the state employees retirement system, but such accrued credited service shall be considered as vesting service in tier II of the state employees retirement system.

(b) Any member of the General Assembly on July 1, 1985, who is not a participant in the General Assembly pension system may elect to become a member of tier I in the state employees retirement system, part A or part B, provided the member makes application to the State Employees Retirement Commission not later than December 31, 1985. Any such member may obtain credit for any credited past service for which such member would have been eligible as a member of the General Assembly pension system provided such member makes the required contributions to the State Employees Retirement Fund in accordance with section 5-181. Failure to make such application by December 31, 1985, shall result in forfeiture of the member's right to participate in tier I of the state employees retirement system, and the member shall become a member of tier II of the state employees retirement system and eligible for vesting service as provided in subsection (a) of this section.

(c) Members of the General Assembly who take office on or after July 1, 1985, and who were members of the General Assembly and the General Assembly pension system prior to that date, shall be eligible to become members of tier I in the state employees retirement system, and may obtain credit for past service in the General Assembly as provided in section 5-181, provided application is made to the State Employees Retirement Commission not later than December 31, 1990, or in accordance with subsection (a) of section 5-192e.

(d) Members of the General Assembly who take office on or after July 1, 1985, and who were not members of the General Assembly prior to that date or who were members but elected not to become members of tier I, shall become members of tier II in the state employees retirement system.

(e) Former members of the General Assembly who elected Option 1 under section 2-8l or 2-8m of the general statutes, revised to 1985, shall not be eligible to become members of the state employees retirement system, unless reelected to serve on or after July 1, 1985, in which case they shall be eligible to become members as provided in subsection (c) of this section.

(f) Former members of the General Assembly who elected Option 2 under section 2-8l or 2-8m of the general statutes, as revised to 1985, and, on July 1, 1985, are receiving the benefits provided under sections 2-8g to 2-8k, inclusive, of the general statutes, revised to 1985, shall continue to receive those benefits.

(g) Former members of the General Assembly who elected Option 2 under section 2-8l or 2-8m of the general statutes, as revised to 1985, and who, on July 1, 1985, are not receiving the benefits provided under section 2-8g to 2-8k, inclusive, of the general statutes, revised to 1985, shall receive the benefits provided in chapter 66 upon meeting the eligibility requirements under that chapter.

(h) Any member of the General Assembly who was a member of both the General Assembly pension system and the teachers' retirement system on July 1, 1985, and who was not eligible to transfer to membership in the state employees retirement system pursuant to this section, shall be refunded from the State Employees Retirement Fund his total contributions to the General Assembly Pension Fund plus accumulated interest.

(i) Any member of the General Assembly who, prior to such membership, had completed service requirements for eligibility for retirement benefits from the state employees retirement system, may, upon attaining the necessary age for commencement of benefits, make a one-time election to receive retirement benefits. Upon making such election, such member may no longer accrue additional service credit for service in the General Assembly. The amount of such retirement benefits shall be determined in accordance with section 5-162.

(P.A. 85-502, S. 2, 9; P.A. 87-484, S. 7, 10; P.A. 90-308, S. 8, 15; P.A. 07-217, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 87-484 added Subsecs. (h) and (i); P.A. 90-308 amended Subsec. (c) to add membership in the general assembly pension system prior to July 1, 1985, as a requirement for tier I membership, and to extend application deadline from December 31, 1985, to December 31, 1990; P.A. 07-217 made technical changes in Subsec. (b), effective July 12, 2007.