Opinion ID: 2546975
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Prior statutory language

Text: In the 1960's there was no distinction between normal and early retirement; TRS members were eligible for retirement at age 55 if they had been in membership service for the prior five years and had a total of at least 10 years of membership service and 15 years of creditable service. See Sec. 4, ch. 86, SLA 1963 (amending AS 14.25.110). By 1973, normal retirement was available to 60-year-old teachers with 15 years of creditable service, the last five of which were membership service, but 55-year-old teachers with such records were only eligible for early retirement. See Sec. 8, ch. 66, SLA 1973 (repealing and reenacting AS 14.25.110). In 1974, the governing statute was modified to permit 60-year-old teachers with 8 years of membership service to retire normally, but there was no modification of the retirement requirements for 55-year-olds. See Sec. 2, ch. 57, SLA 1974 (amending AS 14.25.110(a)). The distinction between teachers hired before and after July 1, 1975 originated in legislative changes adopted in 1975. Chapter 173 of the 1975 Session Laws changed AS 14.25.110(a) to read as follows: A teacher is eligible for normal retirement if he has completed either (1) at least 15 years of creditable service, the last five of which have been membership service, except that a member first hired after July 1, 1975 must have eight years of membership service, and has attained the age of 55 years ... See Sec. 1, ch. 173, SLA 1975. As a result of these changes, 55-year-old teachers with 15 years of creditable service hired after July 1, 1975 were required to have at least eight years of membership servicethree more years of membership service than was required of teachers first hired before July 1, 1975. The statute was again revised in 1980, but retained the requirement of eight years of membership service for normal retirement of 55-year-old teachers hired after July 1, 1975: A member is eligible for a normal retirement benefit if he (1) was first hired before July 1, 1975, has at least 15 years of credited service, the last five of which have been membership service; (2) has attained the age of 55 years and has at least eight years of membership service; [or] (3) has attained the age of 55 years, has at least 5 years of membership service, and has at least three years of Alaska BIA service; ... Sec. 14, ch. 13, SLA 1980. Although the permutations for BIA service shifted slightly during legislative changes in 1986, the lower membership service requirement for teachers first hired before July 1, 1975 endured. See Sec.1, ch. 177, SLA 1986 and Sec.1, ch. 81, SLA 1986. When the minimum normal retirement age for teachers with eight years of membership service increased from 55 years to 60 years in 1990, the legislature retained the provision permitting teachers first hired before July 1, 1975 to retire at age 55 based on fifteen years of credited service, the last five of which were membership service. See Sec. 5, ch. 97, SLA 1990. A second bill passed in 1990 modified the requirements to AS 14.25.110(a)(1) to permit the normal retirement of 55-year-old teachers based either on fifteen years of credited service the last five of which were membership service or on being otherwise vested in the system. See Sec. 1, ch. 79, SLA 1990.