§ 36-27-24 — Funds for Assets of Retirement System - Creation; Composition; Disposition of Funds; Appropriations

(a) Effective October 1, 1997, all the assets of the retirement system shall be credited according to the purpose for which they are held among three funds, namely, the Annuity Savings Fund, the Pension Accumulation Fund, and the Expense Fund. The operation of the former Pension Reserve Fund and the Annuity Reserve Fund shall be discontinued as of such date and the balance of the former Pension Reserve Fund shall be transferred to the Pension Accumulation Fund, and the balance of the former Annuity Reserve Fund shall be transferred to the Pension Accumulation Fund.
(b) Annuity Savings Fund. The Annuity Savings Fund shall be a fund in which shall be accumulated contributions from the compensation of members to provide for their annuities.
Contributions to and payments from the Annuity Savings Fund shall be made as follows: Effective October 1, 1971, each employer shall cause to be deducted from the salary of each member on each and every payroll of such employer for each and every payroll period five percent of his or her earnable compensation; except, that in the case of a state policeman, the rate of 10 percent of earnable compensation shall apply, and in computing all retirement benefits it shall be assumed that a seven percent rate of contribution had applied with respect to service as a state policeman prior to July 1, 1957. For all pay dates beginning on or after October 1, 2011, each employer, except those employers participating pursuant to Section 36-27-6, shall cause to be deducted from the salary of each member on each and every payroll of such employer for each and every payroll period seven and one-quarter percent (7.25%) of his or her earnable compensation; except, that in the case of a state policeman, the rate of ten percent (10%) of earnable compensation shall apply. For all pay dates beginning on or after October 1, 2012, each employer, except those employers participating pursuant to Section 36-27-6, shall cause to be deducted from the salary of each Tier I plan member on each and every payroll of such employer for each and every payroll period seven and one-half percent (7.5%) of his or her earnable compensation; except, that in the case of a state policeman, the rate of ten percent (10%) of earnable compensation shall apply. For all pay dates beginning on or after January 1, 2013, each employer shall cause to be deducted from the salary of each Tier II plan member on each and every payroll period six percent (6%) of his or her earnable compensation; except that in the case of a state policeman, the rate of ten percent (10%) shall apply and in the case of a correctional officer, firefighter, or law enforcement officer as defined in Section 36-27-59, the rate of seven percent (7%) shall apply. Any employer participating under Section 36-27-6, by adoption of a resolution, may elect for the increases in employee contributions provided by Act 2011-676 to be withheld from the earnable compensation of employees of the employer. In determining the amount earnable by a member in a payroll period, the Board of Control may consider the rate of annual compensation payable to such member on the first day of the payroll period as continuing through such payroll period, and it may omit deductions from compensation for any period less than a full payroll period if an employee was not a member on the first day of the payroll period, and, to facilitate the making of deductions, it may modify the deductions required of any member by such an amount as shall not exceed one tenth of one percent of the annual compensation upon the basis of which such deductions are made.
The deductions provided for in this subsection shall be made notwithstanding that the minimum compensation provided for by law for any member shall be reduced thereby. Every member shall be deemed to consent and agree to the deduction made and provided for in this subsection and shall receipt for his or her full salary or compensation and payment of salary or compensation less such deductions shall be a full and complete discharge and acquittance of all claims and demands whatsoever for the services rendered by such person during the period covered by such payment, except as to the benefits provided under this article. The employer shall certify to the Board of Control in each and every payroll or in such other manner as the board may prescribe the amounts to be deducted, and each of the amounts shall be deducted and, when deducted, shall be paid into the Annuity Savings Fund and shall be credited, together with regular interest thereon, to the individual account of the member from whose compensation the deduction was made.
In addition to the contributions deducted from compensation as provided in this subsection, subject to the approval of the Board of Control, any member may deposit in the Annuity Savings Fund by a single payment or by an increased rate of contribution an amount computed to be sufficient to purchase an additional annuity which, together with his or her prospective retirement allowance, will provide for him or her a total retirement allowance not to exceed one half of his or her average final compensation at age 60. Such additional amounts so deposited shall become a part of his or her accumulated contributions, except in the case of retirement, when they shall be treated as excess contributions returnable to the member in cash or as an annuity of equivalent actuarial value and shall not be considered in computing his or her pension.
The contributions and interest credits of a member withdrawn by him or her or paid to his or her estate or to his or her designated beneficiary in event of his or her death shall be paid from the Annuity Savings Fund. Should a member cease to be a member other than by retirement under the provisions of this article, an amount equivalent to the difference, if any, between his or her accumulated contributions and the amount then paid shall be transferred to the Expense Fund. Upon the retirement of a member or the death of an eligible member where an allowance to a surviving spouse or other designated beneficiary is payable, his or her accumulated contributions shall be transferred from the Annuity Savings Fund to the Pension Accumulation Fund.
Notwithstanding the preceding provisions, no deductions shall be made from any member’s salary on account of which the employer’s contributions are in default.
The State Personnel Board, with the approval of the Governor, may provide that the state shall pick up member contributions to the Employees’ Retirement System of Alabama as required by this subsection on behalf of all state employees who participate in the Employees’ Retirement System by a corresponding reduction in the salary of the member, such pick-up to be mandatory for all such employees, and the contributions so picked up shall be treated as employer contributions in determining tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code. These contributions shall be paid from the same source of funds which is used in paying earnings to the employee. If employee contributions are so picked up they shall be treated for all other purposes of state law in the same manner and to the same extent as employee contributions made prior to the date picked up.
(c) Pension Accumulation Fund. The Pension Accumulation Fund shall be the fund in which shall be accumulated all reserves other than the amounts held in the Annuity Savings Fund for the payment of all pensions, all allowances granted to surviving spouses or other designated beneficiaries and other benefits payable from contributions made by the employer and from which shall be paid all pensions, all allowances granted to surviving spouses or other designated beneficiaries and other benefits on account of members with prior service credit.
Contributions to and payments from the Pension Accumulation Fund shall be made as follows: On account of each member there shall be paid monthly by the employer an amount equal to a certain percentage of the earnable compensation of each member to be known as the “normal contribution” and an additional amount equal to a percentage of his or her earnable compensation to be known as the “accrued liability contribution,” and these two amounts shall be paid monthly into the Pension Accumulation Fund; provided, that in the case of a state policeman, such percentage rates of contributions shall be calculated separately. The percentage rate of such contributions shall be fixed for each fiscal year on the basis of the liabilities of the retirement system as shown by the last annual actuarial valuation, and such percentage rate as established by such valuation shall take effect the following October 1 and continue in effect for the fiscal year.
On the basis of regular interest and of such mortality and other tables as shall be adopted by the Board of Control, the actuary engaged by the board to make such valuation required by this article during the period over which the accrued liability contribution is payable shall, immediately after making such valuation, determine the uniform and constant percentage of the earnable compensation of the average new entrant which, if contributed on the basis of his or her compensation throughout his or her entire period of active service, would be sufficient to provide for the payment of any pension payable on his or her account. The percentage rate so determined shall be known as the “normal contribution” rate. The normal rate of contributions shall be determined by the actuary after each valuation.
The accrued liability contribution rate shall be computed by the actuary on the basis of each valuation as the percentage rate of the total annual compensation of all members which is sufficient to liquidate the accrued liability over a period to be determined by the Board of Control which shall be not less than 10 nor more than 30 years.
The unfunded accrued liability shall be computed by the actuary as the total liabilities of the system which are not dischargeable by the assets of the Annuity Savings Fund and the Pension Accumulation Fund and the present value of the aforesaid normal contributions.
For purposes of computing the unfunded accrued liability the assets shall be determined as follows:
On September 30, 1997, the assets shall be determined by using the market value of such assets. For subsequent years the value of the assets shall be determined by the system’s actuary using a five year smoothed market value.
The total amount payable in each year to the Pension Accumulation Fund shall be not less than the sum of the percentage rates known as the normal contribution rate and the accrued liability contribution rate of the total compensation earnable by all members during the preceding year.
All interest and dividends earned on the funds of the retirement system shall be credited to the Pension Accumulation Fund. The amounts needed to allow a regular interest on the reserves in the Annuity Savings Fund shall be transferred in accordance with this article from the Pension Accumulation Fund. The Board of Control, in its discretion, may transfer to and from the Pension Accumulation Fund the amounts of any surplus or deficit which may develop in the Annuity Savings Fund, or the Expense Fund.
Upon the death of a member on account of whom no survivor allowance is payable under subdivisions (2) and (3) of subsection (c) of Section 36-27-16, the death benefit as provided in subdivision (4) of subsection (c) of Section 36-27-16 equal to the accumulated contributions, not to exceed $5,000.00, shall be payable from the Pension Accumulation Fund.
(d) Expense Fund. The Expense Fund shall be the fund from which the expenses of the administration of the retirement system shall be paid, exclusive of amounts payable as retirement allowances and as other benefits provided in this chapter. In addition thereto and on account of each member of the retirement system, there shall be paid monthly by the employer an amount equal to a certain percentage of the earnable compensation of each member for the administrative expenses of the retirement system. The percentage rate of such contribution shall be fixed by the Board of Control on the basis of the cost exclusive of that provided by interest not returnable. Any amounts credited to the accounts of the members withdrawing before retirement and not returnable under the provisions of subsection (c) of Section 36-27-16 shall be credited to the Expense Fund.
(e) Employer’s contributions. For each biennium beginning October 1, 1965, each employer shall pay to the retirement system the rates provided in this section and thereafter, at least 30 days preceding October 1 of each fiscal year, the Board of Control shall certify to the chief fiscal officer of each employer the percentage rates of earnable compensation of the members required to be paid to the retirement system in accordance with subsections (c) and (d) of this section.
The employer’s contribution on account of the membership of employees whose salaries are paid in whole or in part from funds derived from federal grants shall be paid from funds derived from the federal grants in accordance with statutes governing the administration of the grants and in proportion to salaries paid therefrom. At such time and in such manner as may be required, the Board of Control shall certify to each department of state receiving a federal grant the amount due and payable from the grant as the employer’s contribution to the retirement system on account of the membership of the department whose salaries are paid in whole or in part from funds derived from such federal grants. The fiscal agent of the department shall authorize the state Comptroller to draw a warrant or warrants in payment of the amount certified as due and payable from federal grants.
(f) Appropriations. There is hereby appropriated annually from the fund from which salaries of the employees of each employer are paid the amounts sufficient to carry out the provisions of this section. In the case of those departments supported wholly by transfers from other state funds, there is hereby appropriated from the supporting funds such additional amounts as may be necessary to pay the employer contribution of each department so supported in the same proportion as the other state funds contribute to the support and maintenance of such department.
(g) Employer cost provided for in this article together with member contributions required under this article shall be paid to the Employees’ Retirement System on the first day of the month following the month in which the related member salary is earned. Delinquent accounts shall accrue interest at the actuarial assumed investment rate beginning 30 days after the original due date. The member contributions for each member shall be reported to the Employees’ Retirement System in a format prescribed by the Employees’ Retirement System.

Legislative History

Acts 1945, No. 515, p. 734, §8; Acts 1947, No. 620, p. 470; Acts 1953, No. 79, p. 106, §4; Acts 1955, No. 281, p. 637, §1; Acts 1957, No. 28, p. 59, §3; Acts 1963, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 44, p. 144, §5; Acts 1965, No. 343, p. 468, §2; Acts 1967, No. 290, p. 819, §2; Acts 1969, No. 173, p. 465, §4; Acts 1971, No. 1463, p. 2490, §4; Acts 1975, 4th Ex. Sess., No. 66, p. 2680, §4; Acts 1982, No. 82-417, p. 628, §1; Act 98-385, p. 732, §11; Act 2010-221, p. 382, §1; Act 2011-676, p. 1805, §1; Act 2012-377, p. 944, §1.)