An Act To Amend the Laws Concerning Optional Membership for Participating Local Districts in the Maine State Retirement System
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1810
Committee: Labor
Sponsors: RICHARDSON, EDMONDS, BUNKER, HATCH, LESSARD, PELLON, SA VIELLO, SMITH, TREADWELL, SHOREY
Amends: 5 MRSA §18251

Legislative Document 
No. 1810 
H.P.1332 
House of Representatives, December 22,2003 
An Act To Amend the Laws Concerning Optional Membership for 
Participating Local Districts in the Maine State Retirement System 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203. 
Received by the Clerk of the House on December 17, 2003. Referred to the Committee on 
Labor pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 401. 
Presented by Representative RICHARDSON of Brunswick. 
Cosponsored by Senator EDMONDS of Cumberland and 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BUNKER of Kossuth Township, HATCH of Skowhegan, LESSARD of 
Topsham, PELLON of Machias, SA VIELLO of Wilton, SMITH of Van Buren, TREADWELL 
of Carmel, Senator: SHOREY of Washington. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §18251, sub-§2, ~D, as amended by PL 1987, c. 
739, §§28 and 48, is further amended to read: 
D. 
A person who elects not to join the retirement system 
under paragraph B or C at the beginning of employment may at 
any time apply for and be admitted to membership. 
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(2) 
Membership service credit for persons joining the 
retirement system under this subsection 
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begins as of the effective date of first contributions 
or pick-up contributions to the retirement system. 
(3) 
This paragraph applies to any member who begins 
membership after December 31, 1985. 
Sec. 2. 5 MRSA §18251, sub-§2, ~E is enacted to read: 
E. 
A person who joins the retirement system under paragraph 
D may purchase service credit for the period during which 
the person elected not to be a member of the retirement 
system. 
Sec. 3. 5 MRS A §18251, sub-§3 is enacted to read: 
3. 
Reentry. 
A person whose membership is optional and who 
becomes 
a 
member 
after having previously withdrawn 
from 
the 
retirement system may purchase service credit for the time served 
in 
eligible 
service 
as 
follows. 
Ifgualified 
under 
both 
paragraphs 
A and 
B, 
the person may purchase time under both 
paragraphs. 
A. 
If the person withdrew accumulated contributions at the 
time of withdrawaL the person may repurchase that prior 
service credit by repaying those contributions pursuant to 
section 18304. 
B. 
For the purchase of time for which the person was not a 
member, the person must pay the amount set forth in section 
18305. 
SUMMARY 
This bill amends the laws concerning optional membership for 
participating local districts 
in 
the 
Maine 
State 
Retirement 
System to parallel changes made for state employees in the system 
in Public Law 2003, chapter 261. 
This bill allows service credit 
to be purchased for the period during which an individual in the 
service of 
a participating local district opted not to be 
a 
member of the Maine State Retirement System if that individual 
rejoins the system. 
The bill also provides that when an employee 
in the service of a participating local district who terminated 
membership in the 
Maine 
State Retirement 
System 
subsequently 
rejoins, that employee may repay those withdrawn contributions 
plus interest immediately upon restoration of service.