Opinion ID: 1247359
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: What was the legislative intent by the enactment of Par. two, Section 97B.43, Code 1950?

Text: Chapter 4, Code 1954, I.C.A., states that words and phrases in statutes shall be construed according to the context and the approved usage of the language. It is also a well-recognized rule of construction that the legislative intention is to be deduced from the language used, and the language is to be construed according to its plain and ordinary meaning. Meredith Pub. Co. v. Iowa Emp. Sec. Comm., 232 Iowa 666, 6 N.W.2d 6. The court should, when possible to do so, construe a legislative enactment so as to give intelligent purpose to its provisions and assume that the legislature realized the need therefor. Hansen v. Henderson, 244 Iowa 650, 56 N.W.2d 59. Section 97B.41 declares the meaning to be given to many terms used in the Chapter. Member, any individual who is a member of the Retirement System; Prior service, any service rendered prior to July 4, 1953; Contributions, payments to the fund provided to pay benefits; Years of prior service, the total of all periods of prior service. Section 97B.42 requires that every employee, new as of the effective date of the chapter, and the then employees, with certain exceptions, become members. Section 97B.43 is entitled Prior service credit. Paragraph one thereof states that Each member in service on July 4, 1953 who made contributions under the abolished system [Chapter 97, Code 1950], and who has not applied for and qualified for benefit payments under the abolished system, shall receive credit for years of prior service in the determination of retirement allowance payments under any of the provisions of this chapter,   . Paragraph two provides that Any person with a record of thirty years as a public employee    prior to July 1, 1947, and who is not eligible for prior service credit under other provisions of this section, shall be entitled to a credit for years of prior service in the determination of the retirement allowance payment under any of the provisions of this chapter,   . His allowance for prior service credits shall be computed in the same manner as otherwise provided in this section, but shall not exceed the sum of four hundred fifty dollars nor be less than three hundred dollars per annum. Any such person shall be entitled to receive retirement allowances contributed as provided by this chapter,  . Appellees have a record of more than thirty years employment. They are not eligible for prior service credit, as set forth in paragraph one of the section for two reasons: (1) They were not in service July 4, 1953, and (2) they had applied and qualified for benefits under the abolished system. To no other group of people than that to which appellees belong, can paragraph two be said to refer. There is no sound basis for claiming the legislature did not so intend. If not so intended then the paragraph is utter surplusage.