Opinion ID: 2290056
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: 43:16A-3 Membership; termination

Text: (1) After the date of the establishment of this retirement system, any person becoming a policeman or fireman in a county or municipality or fire district located in a township where, prior to the date this act takes effect, a pension fund under chapter sixteen of Title 43 or article four of chapter ten of Title 43 of the Revised Statutes for policemen or firemen has been established, shall become a member of this retirement system as a condition of his employment; provided, that his age at becoming a policeman or fireman is not over thirty years; and further provided, that he shall furnish such evidence of good health at the time of becoming a member as the board of trustees shall require.    Although it is settled in this State that chancemen are regular members of the police department and not temporary employees, Albert v. Caldwell, 123 N.J.L. 266 ( E. & A. 1939); McManus v. Caldwell, 129 N.J.L. 111 ( Sup. Ct. 1942), affirmed on opinion below 130 N.J.L. 175 ( E. & A. 1942), they are appointed for part-time service and are not full-time active uniformed employees within the language of L. 1944, c. 255, secs. 1 and 3, as amended ( N.J.S.A. 43:16A-1, 3) supra, which create, define and require membership in the state fund. The plaintiffs did not become full-time active uniformed employees until they were employed as patrolmen on February 24, 1947, after the effective date of the act. It is mandatory under that act that persons becoming policemen, i.e., full-time active uniformed employees, after the effective date of the act become members of the state fund as a condition of their employment. Persons becoming members of the state fund are deprived of benefits under provisions of statutes relating to any other fund providing wholly or partly at the expense of a municipality a pension or retirement fund for policemen. L. 1944, c. 255, p. 855, sec. 19. The Legislature has made these positive provisions, and in so doing must be presumed to have taken cognizance of the decisions of our courts relating to chancemen when the legislation, including those provisions, was enacted. Sutherland Statutory Construction (3 rd ed. ), vol. 2, sec. 4510. By the 1944 act, the Legislature created a statewide pension system for full-time policemen and firemen designed to ensure the uniform protection of all such public officers through the medium of pensions payable from a fund maintained upon a sound actuarial basis. The Legislature recognized the financial burden imposed on municipalities by pension funds operating within the scope of the earlier legislation and sought to reduce it. For the protection of those persons who were members of existing municipal funds and were disqualified by age or ill health to become members in the state fund, the municipal funds were permitted to continue in existence. For the reasons above stated the portions of the judgment appealed from are affirmed. For affirmance  Chief Justice VANDERBILT, and Justices HEHER, OLIPHANT, BURLING and ACKERSON  5. For reversal  None.