2023 Texas Statutes › Vernon's Civil Statutes › Title 109 - Pensions › Article 6243h. Municipal Pension System in Cities of 1,500,000 or More › Section 7. Service; Credited Service

Sec. 7.  SERVICE; CREDITED SERVICE.  (a)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, duplication of service or credited service in group A, B, C, or D of the pension system or in the pension system and any other defined benefit pension plan to which the city contributes is prohibited.
(b)  A member's service begins on the date the member first performs services for the city, the pension system, or the predecessor system as an eligible employee on or after September 1, 1943.  A member's period of service terminates on the earliest of the date of the member's:
(1)  retirement;
(2)  death;
(3)  resignation;
(4)  discharge; or
(5)  other cessation of actual performance of services for the city or for the pension system, other than an authorized absence.
(c)  Except as provided by Section 12 of this Act, a member may pay into the pension fund and obtain credit for any service with the city or the pension system for which credit is otherwise allowable under this Act, except that:
(1)  no required contributions were made by the member for the service; or
(2)  refunded contributions attributable to the service have not been subsequently repaid.
(d)  To establish service described by Subsection (c) of this section that occurred before September 1, 1999, the member shall pay a sum computed at the rate of four percent of the member's salary, and the city shall pay into the pension fund an amount equal to 18 percent of that salary for the same period.
(e)  To establish service described by Subsection (c) of this section that occurred on or after September 1, 1999, the member shall pay a sum computed by multiplying the member's salary during the service by the rate established for member contributions under Section 8 of this Act, and the city shall pay into the pension fund an amount equal to the rate established for city contributions under Section 8A of this Act.
(f)  In addition to the amounts to be paid by the member under Subsection (d) or (e) of this section, the member shall also pay interest on those amounts at the current assumed rate of return per year, not compounded, from the date the contributions would have been deducted, if made, or from the date contributions were refunded to the date of repayment of those contributions into the pension fund.
(g)  Before the year 2017 effective date, if a group B or group D member separates from service before completing five years of credited service, the member's service credit is canceled at the time of separation.  If the member is reemployed by the city in a position covered by the pension system before the first anniversary of the date of separation, all credit for previous service is restored.  Any member whose service credit is canceled under this subsection and who is reemployed by the city in a position covered by the pension system after the first anniversary of the date of separation receives one year of previous service credit in group B or group D, as applicable, for each full year of subsequent service up to the amount of the previous service that was canceled.
(g-1)  On or after the year 2017 effective date, if a group B or group D member who has made required member contributions separates from service before completing five years of credited service, the member's service credit is canceled at the time of separation and the member is eligible to receive a refund of required member contributions as provided by Section 17 of this Act.  If the member is reemployed before the first anniversary of the date of separation:
(1)  subject to Subdivision (2) of this subsection, all credit for previous service for which no member contributions were required is restored, along with credit for previous service for which the member did not receive a refund of contributions; and
(2)  if the member's service credit is canceled under this subsection, the member is eligible to reinstate the canceled credited service by paying the pension system the refund amount, if any, plus interest on those amounts at the current assumed rate of return per year, not compounded, from the date contributions were refunded to the date of repayment of those contributions to the pension fund.
(g-2)  For purposes of Subsection (g-1)(2) of this section, for any canceled service for which contributions were not required, the member receives one year of previous service credit in group B or group D, as appropriate, for each full year of subsequent service up to the amount of the previous service that was canceled.
(h)  A group B member who was a group A member before September 1, 1981, and who was eligible to purchase credit for previous service under Chapter 358, Acts of the 48th Legislature, Regular Session, 1943 (Article 6243g, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), may purchase the service credit in group B by paying into the pension fund an amount equal to the assumed rate of return per year, not compounded, on any contributions previously withdrawn for the period from the date of withdrawal to the date of purchase.
(i)  Under rules and procedures adopted by the pension board, a group D member may effectuate a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer from a qualifying code Section 457(b) plan to the pension system to purchase an increased or enhanced benefit in accordance with the provisions of code Sections 415(n) and 457(e)(17) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.  The amount transferred under this subsection shall be held by the pension system and the pension system may not separately account for the amount.  The pension board by rule shall determine the additional benefit that a member is entitled to based on a transfer under this subsection.
(j)  For purposes of this subsection and Subsection (k) of this section, "furlough time" means the number of days a person has been furloughed.  A person who has been voluntarily or involuntarily furloughed shall receive credited service for each day that the person has been furloughed, provided that:
(1)  the pension system receives all required city contributions and member contributions for the credited service attributable to the furlough time for the pay period in which the furlough occurs, based on the regular salary that each furloughed member would have received if the member had worked during the furlough time;
(2)  the member may receive not more than 10 days of credited service in a fiscal year for furlough time; and
(3)  credited service for furlough time may not be used to meet the five-year requirement under Section 10(b) of this Act for eligibility for a benefit.
(k)  For purposes of Subsection (j) of this section, the city shall establish a unique pay code for furlough time to provide for timely payment of city contributions and member contributions for furlough time and to allow the pension system to identify furlough time for each furloughed employee.
(l)  Notwithstanding any provision of this section, the interest rate on any service purchase shall be the then current assumed rate of return, not compounded.