
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
H. B. 4388
(By Delegates Campbell, J. Smith, Browning,
Hubbard, Keener, Hall and Harrison
)
(Originating in the Committee on Finance)
[February 27, 2002]
A BILL
to amend and reenact section twenty, article twenty-two,
chapter eight of the code of West Virginia, one thousand
nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to municipal
police and firemen's pension and relief funds; and providing
that no municipality may anticipate or use in any manner any
state funds accruing to the police or firemen's pension fund
to offset the minimum required funding amount for any fiscal
year
.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section twenty, article twenty-two, chapter eight of
the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one,
as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 22. RETIREMENT BENEFITS GENERALLY; POLICEMEN'S PENSION
AND RELIEF FUND; FIREMEN'S PENSION AND RELIEF
FUND; PENSION PLANS FOR EMPLOYEES OF WATERWORKS SYSTEM, SEWERAGE SYSTEM OR COMBINED WATERWORKS
AND SEWERAGE SYSTEM.
§8-22-20. Minimum standards for actuarial soundness.
The board of trustees for each pension and relief fund shall
have regularly scheduled actuarial valuation reports prepared by
a qualified actuary. All of the following standards must be met:
(a) An actuarial valuation report shall be prepared at least
once every three years commencing with the later of: (1) The
first day of July, one thousand nine hundred eighty-three; or (2)
three years following the most recently prepared actuarial
valuation report: Provided, That this most recently prepared
actuarial valuation report meets all of the standards of this
section.
(b) The actuarial valuation report shall consist of, but is
not limited to, the following disclosures: (1) The financial
objective of the fund and how the objective is to be attained;
(2) the progress being made toward realization of the financial
objective; (3) recent changes in the nature of the fund, benefits
provided, or actuarial assumptions or methods; (4) the frequency
of actuarial valuation reports and the date of the most recent
actuarial valuation report; (5) the method used to value fund
assets; (6) the extent to which the qualified actuary relies on
the data provided and whether the data was certified by the fund's auditor or examined by the qualified actuary for
reasonableness; (7) a description and explanation of the
actuarial assumptions and methods; and (8) any other information
the qualified actuary feels is necessary or would be useful in
fully and fairly disclosing the actuarial condition of the fund.
(c)(1) After the thirtieth day of June, one thousand nine
hundred ninety-one, and thereafter, the financial objective of
each municipality shall not be less than to contribute to the
fund annually an amount which, together with the contributions
from the members and the allocable portion of the state premium
tax fund for municipal pension and relief funds established under
section fourteen-d, article three, chapter thirty-three of this
code and other income sources as authorized by law, will be
sufficient to meet the normal cost of the fund and amortize any
actuarial deficiency over a period of not more than forty years:
Provided, That in the fiscal year ending the thirtieth of June,
one thousand nine hundred ninety-one, the municipality may elect
to make its annual contribution to the fund utilizing an
alternative contribution in an amount not less than: (i) One
hundred seven percent of the amount contributed for the fiscal
year ending the thirtieth day of June, one thousand nine hundred
ninety; or (ii) an amount equal to the average of the
contribution payments made in the five highest fiscal years beginning with the 1984 fiscal year whichever is greater:
Provided, however, That contribution payments in subsequent
fiscal years under this alternative contribution method
shall may
not be less than one hundred seven percent of the amount
contributed in the prior fiscal year: Provided further, That
prior to utilizing this alternative contribution methodology the
actuary of the fund shall certify in writing that the fund is
projected to be solvent under the alternative contribution
method for the next consecutive fifteen- year period. For
purposes of determining this minimum financial objective: (1)
The value of the fund's assets shall be determined on the basis
of any reasonable actuarial method of valuation which takes into
account fair market value; and (2) all costs, deficiencies, rate
of interest, and other factors under the fund shall be determined
on the basis of actuarial assumptions and methods which, in
aggregate, are reasonable (taking into account the experience of
the fund and reasonable expectations) and which, in combination,
offer the qualified actuary's best estimate of anticipated
experience under the fund
.
(2) No municipality may anticipate or use in any manner any
state funds accruing to the police or firemen's pension fund to
offset the minimum required funding amount for any fiscal year
.
(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or article to the contrary, each municipality shall contribute
annually to the fund an amount which may not be less than the
normal cost, as determined by the actuarial report.
(d) For purposes of this section the term "qualified
actuary" means only an actuary who is a member of the society of
actuaries or the American academy of actuaries. The qualified
actuary shall be designated a fiduciary and shall discharge his
or her duties with respect to a fund solely in the interest of
the members and member's beneficiaries of that fund. In order
for the standards of this section to be met, the qualified
actuary shall certify that the actuarial valuation report is
complete and accurate and that in his or her opinion the
technique and assumptions used are reasonable and meet the
requirements of this section of this article.
(e) The cost of the preparation of the actuarial valuation
report shall be paid by the fund.
(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, for
the fiscal year ending the thirtieth day of June, one thousand
nine hundred ninety-one, the municipality may calculate its
annual contribution based upon the provisions of the supplemental
benefit provided for in this article enacted during the one
thousand nine hundred ninety-one regular session of the
Legislature.