SB 1048 - This act creates a different retirement plan for any person who becomes a state employee on or after January 1, 2011. To be eligible for normal retirement under this plan, employees will be required to reach age sixty-seven and have at least ten years of service or reach age fifty-five with the sum of the member's age and service equaling at least ninety, members of the general assembly will be required to reach age sixty-two and complete at least three full biennial assemblies or reach age fifty-five with the sum of the member's age and service equaling at least ninety, and statewide elected officials will be required to reach age sixty-two and complete at least four years of service or reach age fifty-five with the sum of the official's age and service equaling at least ninety. Employees must work for the state for ten years to vest in the retirement system. Members of this retirement plan will be required to contribute four percent of their compensation to the retirement system. Members will not be able to purchase credit in the retirement plan for their past non-federal full-time public employment, their military service, or transfer credit from other public retirement plans. The employee contribution rate, the benefits under the year 2000 plan, and any other provision of the year 2000 plan may be altered, amended, increased, decreased, or repealed, but such change will only apply to service or interest credits after the effective date of the change. Effective January 1, 2011, the mandatory retirement age for uniformed members of the Highway Patrol will be increased from sixty to sixty-two. Any current employee or judge whose gross monthly pay is greater than $8,334 is required to contribute four percent of their compensation to the retirement system. The act creates a different retirement plan for any person who first becomes a judge on or after January 1, 2011. Judges will be required to reach age sixty-seven and have at least twelve years of service or reach age sixty-two and have twenty years of service before they are eligible for normal retirement. If a judge retires at age sixty-seven with less than twelve years of service, or at sixty-two with less than twenty years service, their retirement compensation will be reduced proportionately. Judges in this retirement plan will be required to contribute four percent of their compensation to the retirement system. Judges will not be able to purchase credit in the retirement plan for their past non-federal full-time public employment or their military service. Judges under this plan who continue to work after their normal retirement date will not have cost-of-living increases added to their retirement compensation for the period of time between their eligibility for retirement and their actual retirement date. When a retired judge under this plan dies, their beneficiary will not receive an amount equal to fifty percent of the judge's retirement compensation. Instead, judges will make a choice at retirement among the benefit payment options, that includes options for the amount received by the beneficiary. The employee contribution rate, the benefits under the judicial retirement plan, and any other provision of the judicial retirement plan may be altered, amended, increased, decreased, or repealed, but such change will only apply to service or interest credits after the effective date of the change. This act prohibits a retired judge who becomes employed after January 1, 2011, as an employee eligible to participate in the MOSERS retirement plan from receiving their judicial retirement benefits while they are employed. Any judge who serves as a judge while he or she is receiving their judicial retirement is prohibited from receiving their judicial retirement while serving as a judge. A judge who serves as a senior judge or senior commissioner while receiving judicial retirement will continue to receive judicial retirement and additional credit and salary for their service. EMILY KALMER