1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to retirement; providing for early retirement 
  1.3             incentives for employees of the state university, 
  1.4             community college, technical college systems, and the 
  1.5             higher education board.  
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [STATE COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY EARLY RETIREMENT 
  1.8   INCENTIVES.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [EMPLOYER PARTICIPATION.] The early 
  1.10  retirement incentives provided in this section may be offered to 
  1.11  eligible employees in the state university, community college, 
  1.12  technical college systems, and the higher education board.  The 
  1.13  incentives apply to personnel in any state university, community 
  1.14  college, or technical college department being downsized or 
  1.15  where a reduction in force has been declared by the president of 
  1.16  the institution, or in the case of personnel in the chancellor's 
  1.17  office, a reduction in force shall be declared by the chancellor 
  1.18  or the chancellor's designee.  In both cases, retirement under 
  1.19  this section is at the discretion of the higher education board. 
  1.20     Subd. 2.  [ELIGIBILITY.] A person identified in section 1 
  1.21  is eligible to receive the incentives if the person:  
  1.22     (1) has at least 15 years of combined service credit in any 
  1.23  Minnesota public pension plans governed by Minnesota Statutes, 
  1.24  section 356.30, subdivision 3, and the plan governed by 
  1.25  Minnesota Statutes, chapter 354B; 
  2.1      (2) upon retirement is immediately eligible for a 
  2.2   retirement annuity from a defined benefit plan if the person is 
  2.3   a member of a defined benefit plan; 
  2.4      (3) is at least 55 years of age; and 
  2.5      (4) retires prior to January 31, 1996.  
  2.6      Subd. 3.  [INCENTIVE.] Persons who retire under this 
  2.7   section shall receive employer-paid hospital, medical, and 
  2.8   dental insurance, subject to the conditions in section 5 and at 
  2.9   the level and under conditions existing at the time of 
  2.10  retirement. 
  2.11     Subd. 4.  [LIMITS ON REHIRING.] Persons retiring under the 
  2.12  provisions of this section may not be reemployed by the state or 
  2.13  hired under a professional technical contract in any capacity 
  2.14  except under conditions of a stated emergency and only then if 
  2.15  the rehire or contract is approved by the higher education board 
  2.16  under procedures adopted by the board.  
  2.17     Subd. 5.  [CONDITIONS; INSURANCE COVERAGE.] A retired 
  2.18  employee is eligible for single and dependent insurance 
  2.19  coverages and employer payments to which the person was entitled 
  2.20  immediately before retirement, subject to any changes in 
  2.21  coverage and employer and employee payments through collective 
  2.22  bargaining or personnel plans, for employees in positions 
  2.23  equivalent to the position from which the employee retired.  The 
  2.24  retired employee is not eligible for employer-paid life 
  2.25  insurance.  Eligibility ceases when the retired employee attains 
  2.26  the age of 65, or when the person chooses not to receive the 
  2.27  retirement benefits for which the person has applied, or when 
  2.28  the person is eligible for employer-paid health insurance from a 
  2.29  new employer.  Coverages must be coordinated with relevant 
  2.30  health insurance benefits provided through the federally 
  2.31  sponsored Medicare program.  
  2.32     Subd. 6.  [APPLICATION OF OTHER LAWS.] Unilateral 
  2.33  implementation of this section by a public employer is not an 
  2.34  unfair labor practice for the purposes of Minnesota Statutes, 
  2.35  chapter 179A.  The requirement in this section for an employer 
  2.36  to pay health insurance costs for certain retired employees is 
  3.1   not subject to the limits in Minnesota Statutes, section 
  3.2   179A.20, subdivision 2a.  
  3.3      Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.4      Section 1 is effective the day following final enactment.