I
104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3316
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to revise the treatment of
deferred compensation plans of State and local governments, and for
other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 24, 1996
Mr. VENTO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Ways and Means
A BILL
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to revise
the treatment of deferred compensation plans of State
and local governments, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Public Employee Re-
tirement Security Act of 1996’’.
SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF GOVERNMENTAL PLANS UNDER
SECTION 415.
(a) COMPENSATION LIMIT.—Subsection (b) of sec-
tion 415 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended
by adding immediately after paragraph (10) the following
new paragraph:
‘‘(11) SPECIAL LIMITATION RULE FOR GOVERN-
MENTAL
PLANS.—In the case of a governmental
plan (as defined in section 414(d)), subparagraph
(B) of paragraph (1) shall not apply.’’
(b) TREATMENT
OF CERTAIN EXCESS BENEFIT
PLANS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 415 of such Code is
amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
‘‘(m) TREATMENT OF QUALIFIED GOVERNMENTAL
EXCESS BENEFIT ARRANGEMENTS.—
‘‘(1) GOVERNMENTAL PLAN NOT AFFECTED.—
In determining whether a governmental plan (as de-
fined in section 414(d)) meets the requirements of
this section, benefits provided under a qualified gov-
ernmental excess benefit arrangement shall not be
taken into account. Income accruing to a govern-
mental plan (or to a trust that is maintained solely
for the purpose of providing benefits under a quali-
fied governmental excess benefit arrangement) in re-
spect of a qualified governmental excess benefit ar-
rangement shall constitute income derived from the
exercise of an essential governmental function upon
which such governmental plan (or trust) shall be ex-
empt from tax under section 115.
‘‘(2) TAXATION
OF
PARTICIPANT.—For pur-
poses of this chapter—
‘‘(A) the taxable year or years for which
amounts in respect of a qualified governmental
excess benefit arrangement are includible in
gross income by a participant, and
‘‘(B) the treatment of such amounts when
so includible by the participant,
shall be determined as if such qualified govern-
mental excess benefit arrangement were treated as a
plan for the deferral of compensation which is main-
tained by a corporation not exempt from tax under
this chapter and which does not meet the require-
ments for qualification under section 401.
‘‘(3) QUALIFIED GOVERNMENTAL EXCESS BEN-
EFIT
ARRANGEMENT.—For purposes of this sub-
section, the term ‘qualified governmental excess ben-
efit arrangement’ means a portion of a governmental
plan if—
‘‘(A) such portion is maintained solely for
the purpose of providing to participants in the
plan that part of the participant’s annual bene-
fit otherwise payable under the terms of the
plan that exceeds the limitations on benefits im-
posed by this section,
‘‘(B) under such portion no election is pro-
vided at any time to the participant (directly or
indirectly) to defer compensation, and
‘‘(C) benefits described in subparagraph
(A) are not paid from a trust forming a part
of such governmental plan unless such trust is
maintained solely for the purpose of providing
such benefits.’’
(2) COORDINATION WITH SECTION 457.—Sub-
section (e) of section 457 of such Code is amended
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(14) TREATMENT
OF
QUALIFIED
GOVERN-
MENTAL
EXCESS
BENEFIT
ARRANGEMENTS.—Sub-
sections (b)(2) and (c)(1) shall not apply to any
qualified governmental excess benefit arrangement
(as defined in section 415(m)(3)), and benefits pro-
vided under such an arrangement shall not be taken
into account in determining whether any other plan
is an eligible deferred compensation plan.’’
(3) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Paragraph (2)
of section 457(f) of such Code is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘and’’ at the end of subparagraph (C), by strik-
ing the period at the end of subparagraph (D) and