Section 47-2-264. Membership in retirement system of secretaries employed by judges of superior courts and district attorneys; creditable service; contributions

   (a) Each secretary employed by a judge of the superior court or a district attorney under Code Section 15-6-25 or 15-18-17 shall be a member of the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia with a commencement date of July 1, 1975. Any such secretary who is already a member of the retirement system by virtue of service with another employer shall be entitled to credit for all service rendered while an employee under the retirement system. All contributions required under this chapter made on behalf of such judicial secretaries shall be paid from funds appropriated or otherwise available for the operation of the superior courts, and all contributions required under this chapter made on behalf of such secretaries of district attorneys shall be paid from funds appropriated or otherwise available. All such payments shall be in addition to the regular compensation provided by law for such secretaries.

(b) Any member who is a secretary of a judge of the superior court or a district attorney and who was employed as such a secretary prior to July 1, 1993, may receive creditable service under this chapter for such employment prior to July 1, 1993, as provided in this subsection. In order to obtain creditable service under this subsection, the member shall (1) provide to the board of trustees acceptable evidence of the period prior to July 1, 1993, during which the member was employed as a secretary of a judge of the superior court or a district attorney but was not a member of this retirement system or any other retirement system and of the compensation received by the member for such employment; and (2) pay to the board of trustees the employee contributions which would have been required if such person had been a member of the retirement system during such period of employment, together with interest at the rate of 6 percent per annum from the date such employee contributions would have been due. The basis for computing such employee contributions shall be the compensation actually received and established to the board as provided in this subsection. No creditable service shall be allowed under this subsection for any period of employment for which creditable service is allowed under any other provision of this chapter or for which creditable service is received under any provision of any other retirement or pension system of this state or of any political subdivision of this state.

(c) Any member who became a member by operation of this Code section shall be eligible to obtain creditable service for all prior service as a secretary of a state court judge while covered by a retirement or pension system operated by a county for county employees if such person has not yet begun receiving a retirement or disability benefit from such retirement or pension system. To obtain such creditable service, the member must apply to the board of trustees not later than December 31, 1998, or within six months after becoming a member, whichever date is later, and must provide such evidence of such prior service as the board deems necessary. Upon notification in writing by the board of trustees of this retirement system, the board of trustees or other managing body of the local retirement or pension system shall transfer to this retirement system accumulated employee contributions and accumulated interest which have been credited by the local retirement or pension system to each employee and have not been withdrawn, and thereafter such person shall not be entitled to receive a benefit from such local retirement or pension system. The employee shall pay to the board of trustees of this retirement system any employee contributions which have been paid to the local retirement or pension system by or on behalf of each employee and have been withdrawn from the local retirement or pension system, plus interest thereon at the rate of 5 percent per annum. Upon receipt of the funds so transferred, the board of trustees shall grant to the member such creditable service as such amount will provide without creating any accrued liability, as a result of granting such creditable service, against this retirement system. If the amount of creditable service so obtained is less than the actual number of years of eligible service, the member is authorized, but not required, to obtain the difference by paying to the board of trustees an amount sufficient to grant such creditable service without creating any accrued liability, as a result of granting such creditable service, against this retirement system.

(d) Any member of this retirement system subject to the provisions of this Code section may obtain creditable service for prior service as a secretary to a state court judge while a participating member of a county retirement system by so notifying the board of trustees of this retirement system and the board of trustees of the county retirement system. Upon receiving such notice, the board of trustees of the county retirement system shall transfer to the board of trustees of this retirement system all employer and employee contributions made by or on behalf of the member, together with regular interest thereon. Upon receipt of such funds, the member shall be credited with such years of service, not to exceed the years of actual service as secretary for a state court judge, as such amount will warrant without creating any unfunded actuarial accrued liability.

Ga. L. 1975, p. 1506, § 5; Ga. L. 1986, p. 1250, § 1; Ga. L. 1994, p. 708, § 1; Ga. L. 1998, p. 1109, § 2; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1271, § 2; Ga. L. 2009, p. 753, § 3/SB 109.