2023 Minnesota Statutes › Chapters 352 - 356B — Retirement › Chapter 353G — Volunteer Firefighters; Retirement › Section 353G.01 — Definitions.

353G.01 DEFINITIONS.
Subdivision 1.
Scope.
For the purposes of this chapter, the words or terms defined in this section have the meanings given to them unless the context of the word or term clearly indicates otherwise.
Subd. 2.
Advisory board.
"Advisory board" means the board established by section 353G.03.
Subd. 3.
Board.
"Board" means the board of trustees of the Public Employees Retirement Association operating under section 353.03.
Subd. 4.
Commissioner of management and budget.
"Commissioner of management and budget" means the state official appointed and qualified under section 16A.01.
Subd. 5.
Executive director; director.
"Executive director" or "director" means the person appointed under section 353.03, subdivision 3a.
Subd. 6.
Fund.
"Fund" means the statewide volunteer firefighter fund established under section 353G.02, subdivision 3.
Subd. 6a.
Governing body.
"Governing body" means the governing body of a municipality or independent nonprofit firefighting corporation or, in the case of a joint powers entity, the governing bodies of the municipalities associated with the joint powers entity.
Subd. 7.
MS 2022 [Repealed, 2023 c 47 art 10 s 10]
[See Note.]
Subd. 7a.
Lump-sum account.
"Lump-sum account" means that portion of the retirement fund that contains the assets applicable to the lump-sum division.
Subd. 7b.
Lump-sum division.
"Lump-sum division" means the division of the plan governed by section 353G.11.
Subd. 8.
Member.
"Member" means an individual who is or was a volunteer firefighter providing service to a municipality or an independent nonprofit firefighting corporation that has elected coverage by the plan under section 353G.05, and whose service is covered by the plan.
Subd. 8a.
Monthly benefit account.
"Monthly benefit account" means that portion of the fund that contains the assets applicable to the monthly benefit division.
Subd. 8b.
Monthly benefit division.
"Monthly benefit division" means the division of the plan governed by section 353G.112.
Subd. 9.
Municipality.
"Municipality" means a governmental entity specified in section 477B.01, subdivision 10, a city or township that has entered into a contract with an independent nonprofit firefighting corporation, or a city or township that has entered into a contract with a joint powers entity established under section 471.59.
Subd. 9a.
Relief association.
"Relief association" means a volunteer firefighter relief association established under chapter 424A, including a volunteer firefighter relief association to which records, assets, and liabilities related to lump-sum or monthly benefits for active and former firefighters will be transferred from the retirement fund upon satisfaction of the requirements of section 353G.17.
Subd. 10.
Plan.
"Plan" means the retirement plan established by this chapter.
Subd. 10a.
Retirement benefit plan document.
"Retirement benefit plan document," for an account in the monthly benefit division, means the articles of incorporation and bylaws of the prior former volunteer firefighter relief association in effect on the day before the date on which the retirement coverage transfer under section 353G.05 occurred or as provided in the most recent modification under section 353G.121.
Subd. 11.
Retirement fund.
"Retirement fund" means the statewide volunteer firefighter fund established under section 353G.02, subdivision 3.
Subd. 12.
Retirement plan.
"Retirement plan" means the retirement plan, either the lump-sum division or the monthly benefit division, established by this chapter.
Subd. 12a.
Service credit.
"Service credit" means the period of service rendered by a volunteer firefighter that is certified under section 353G.07 by the fire chief of the fire department in which the volunteer firefighter serves. A volunteer firefighter's service credit equals all periods of service with any fire department covered by the plan.
Subd. 13.
Standards for actuarial work.
"Standards for actuarial work" means the standards adopted by the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement under section 3.85, subdivision 10.
Subd. 14.
State Board of Investment.
"State Board of Investment" means the board created by article XI, section 8, of the Minnesota Constitution and governed by chapter 11A.
Subd. 14a.
Vesting service credit.
"Vesting service credit" means service credit plus any earlier period of service rendered as a volunteer firefighter in a fire department in the state that was not covered by the plan at the time the service was rendered. The earlier period of service must be certified by the fire chief of the fire department covered by the plan in a manner similar to the requirements of section 353G.07. The volunteer firefighter must provide documentation in a form acceptable to the executive director regarding the earlier period of service.
Subd. 15.
Volunteer firefighter.
"Volunteer firefighter" means a person who is an active member of the fire department of a municipality or an independent nonprofit firefighting corporation and who, in that capacity, engages in fire suppression activities, provides emergency response services, or delivers fire education or prevention services on an on-call basis.
History:
2009 c 101 art 2 s 109; 2009 c 169 art 9 s 10; 2015 c 68 art 8 s 2-10; 2018 c 211 art 16 s 4,5; 2019 c 50 art 1 s 112; 1Sp2019 c 6 art 22 s 4; 2020 c 108 art 7 s 1,9; 2022 c 65 art 4 s 1,2; 2023 c 47 art 10 s 1-4,9
NOTE:
The repeal of subdivision 7 is effective January 1, 2024. The text may be viewed at MS 2022 in the statutes archives.