MONTGOMERY COUNTY                                      2737

Chapter No. 44

AN EMERGENCY ACT to amend Article ill, title
"Employees' Retirement System", of Chapter 33, title
"Personnel" of the Montgomery County Code 1972, as amended,
by repealing and reenacting with amendments Sections 33—34
through 33—61 for the purpose of eliminating certain
procedural requirements concerning the enactment of a
retirement system or modifications thereto; to clarify
certain existing definitions and general language; to delete
certain obsolete provisions; to clarify administrative
responsibility; to reorganize provisions in a logical
sequence; to redefine eligibility for membership; to provide
optional enrollment for elected and appointed officials; to
provide for integration of Social Security retirement
benefits with County retirement benefits; to redefine
membership groups; to provide for transfer of funds to
approved deferred compensation plan; to provide for transfer
of all Group F members to Group A; to provide for optional
transfer of Group B members to Group E; to provide for
temporary transfer of Group E members without loss of Group
E status; to provide those members who transfer from Group
E to Group A before early retirement those credits earned at
Group E rates; to revise mandatory retirement for Group A
members to age 70; to redefine eligibility for elective
early retirement; to establish employee contribution rates
for the integrated retirement plan; to redefine eligibility
for credited interest on members accumulated contributions;
to provide optional benefits for beneficiaries of a member
who dies after becoming eligible for vesting or retirement;
to provide for refund of contributions to members who elect
the integrated retirement plan; to provide for liquidation
of unfunded accrued liability over longer periods; to
clarify and condense procedures for the determination and/or
purchase of credited service; to redefine eligibility for
purchase of credited service for prior military service; to
redefine average final earnings; to provide a maximum
benefit for certain employees; to establish benefit formula
for integrated retirement plan; to redefine date eligible
for disability retirements; to redefine eligibility for
disability retirement; to revise amount of disability
retirement pension; to provide a maximum benefit for which
eligible as the result of a disability retirement; to
redefine pension payment options; to redefine cost—of—living
adjustments; to redefine eligibility for vested benefits; to
redefine eligibility for discontinued service pension; to
redefine eligibility for survivors benefits; to reduce the
term of members of the Disability Retirement Hearing Board;
to provide for two non—voting employee members on the
Disability Retirement Hearing Board; to establish guidelines
for Disability Retirement Hearing Board members activities;
to clarify procedure and authority of Disability Retirement
Hearing Board; to clarify procedures for partial pension
payments; to clarify exemptions from claims; to provide for
an investment policy; to provide for exemption from
execution, garnishment or attachment; to revise
interpretation responsibilities of the Personnel Board; to
provide for severability in case of invalidity of any