HB818: HB818 Georgia Judicial Retirement System; membership for each judge employed full time in the Georgia Tax Court; provide

25 LC 56 0391 House Bill 818 By: Representatives Martin of the 49th, Leverett of the 123rd, Gunter of the 8th, Blackmon of the 146th, and Evans of the 57th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Chapter 23 of Title 47 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the1 Georgia Judicial Retirement System, so as to provide for membership in the system for each2 judge employed full time in the Georgia Tax Court; to provide f or creditable service; to3 provide for transfer of funds; to provide for transfer of membership service; to provide for4 payments of full actuarial costs; to provide for all other individuals employed by the court;5 to provide for earnable monthly compensation for purposes of co ntributions and benefit6 amounts; to provide for related matters; to provide conditions for an effective date and7 automatic repeal; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.8 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:9 SECTION 1.10 Chapter 23 of Title 47 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotate d, relating to the Georgia11 Judicial Retirement System, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:12 "47-23-51.13 (a) On and after July 1, 2026, each individual employed full time as a judge in the Georgia14 Tax Court established by Article VI, Section I, Paragraph I of the Georgia Constitution15 shall become a member of this retirement system.16 H. B. 818 - 1 - 25 LC 56 0391 (b) Each individual who becomes a member of this retirement sy stem pursuant to this17 Code section shall be eligible to transfer his or her creditable service from the Employees'18 Retirement System of Georgia to this retirement system, provided that he or she notifies19 the board of such election within one year of obtaining such membership and pays to the20 retirement system the remaining amount necessary to pay for the full actuarial cost to the21 retirement system associated with his or her transfer of servic e. Upon such election and22 payment, the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia shall tran sfer to this retirement23 system all employer and employee contributions paid by or on behalf of him or her together24 with regular interest thereon, and he or she shall receive service in this retirement system25 toward vesting only in the full amount of the service he or she rendered as an employee26 while he or she was a member of the Employees' Retirement Syste m of Georgia and for27 which credit was allowable in such system.28 (c) An individual who becomes a member of this retirement system pursuant to this Code29 section shall be subject to all provisions of this chapter applicable to solicitors-general of30 the state courts, except as otherwise specifically provided by this chapter. For the purposes31 of this retirement system, for each such member, his or her earnable monthly compensation32 shall be the full rate of regular monthly compensation paid fro m state funds to such33 member employee for his or her full working time.34 (d) All other individuals employed by the Georgia Tax Court es tablished pursuant to35 Article VI, Section I, Paragraph I of the Georgia Constitution shall be treated in accordance36 with the provisions of Code Section 47-2-70.1 for new state agencies."37 SECTION 2.38 Said chapter is further amended in subsection (a) of Code Secti on 47-23-100, relating to39 salary defined, by striking "and" at the end of paragraph (5), replacing the period with "; and"40 at the end of paragraph (6), and adding a new paragraph to read as follows:41 H. B. 818 - 2 - 25 LC 56 0391 "(7) For any person who is a member of the retirement system pu rsuant to Code42 Section 47-23-51, his or her average earnable monthly compensation."43 SECTION 3.44 This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026, only if it is determined to have been45 concurrently funded as provided in Chapter 20 of Title 47 of the Official Code of Georgia46 Annotated, the "Public Retirement Systems Standards Law"; other wise, this Act shall not47 become effective and shall be automatically repealed in its ent irety on July 1, 2026, as48 required by subsection (a) of Code Section 47-20-50.49 SECTION 4.50 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.51 H. B. 818 - 3 -