Section 47-6-40. Qualifications for membership; irrevocable election for certain members of General Assembly; membership of persons who cease to become members before age 60; termination of membership; application for additional creditable service

   (a) Each person who first or again becomes a member of the General Assembly on or after July 1, 2012, may make an irrevocable election at the beginning of each term of office to become a member of the Georgia Legislative Retirement System within two months of taking office as a member of the General Assembly. Any member of this retirement system who is elected to a consecutive term of office and who has elected membership in this retirement system shall be deemed to have continuous membership from term to term and shall not be required to reapply each term.

(b) If a member of the system ceases to be a member of the General Assembly before attaining age 60 and for reasons other than death, such member, unless he or she withdraws his or her contributions pursuant to Code Section 47-6-85, shall continue as a noncontributing member of the system. Any such noncontributing member shall not gain any additional membership service. If he or she again becomes a member of the General Assembly and a contributing member of the system, such member shall retain the membership service previously credited to him or her. If a member subject to this subsection withdraws his or her contributions upon ceasing to be a member of the General Assembly, any membership service credited to him or her at the time such contributions are withdrawn shall be forfeited and may not be reestablished if he or she again becomes a member of the General Assembly.

(c) Should any member of the system in any period of five consecutive years after becoming a member be absent from service more than four years, withdraw his or her contributions or become a beneficiary of such system, or die, he or she shall thereupon cease to be a member.

(d) A member of the General Assembly serving on July 1, 2012, may make an irrevocable election to become a member of this retirement system and may obtain creditable service for prior service as a member of the General Assembly as provided in this Code section. In order to obtain such additional creditable service, the member must:

   (1) Make application to the board of trustees in such manner as the board deems appropriate not later than December 31, 2012. Such application and payment must be made in conjunction with and simultaneously with the member's application for membership; and

   (2) Pay to the board of trustees an amount determined by the board of trustees to be sufficient to cover the full actuarial cost of granting the creditable service as provided in this Code section;

provided, however, that no creditable service shall be granted or obtained pursuant to this Code section if such service may be used to calculate creditable service under any other public retirement system created by this title.

(e) A member of the General Assembly may obtain creditable service for membership in the General Assembly only for the purposes of the Georgia Legislative Retirement System, and no service as a member of the General Assembly which is obtained after December 31, 1985, by any such member shall be creditable or used as creditable service for the purposes of any other public retirement or pension system of this state.

Ga. L. 1967, p. 259, § 4; Ga. L. 1971, p. 930, § 1; Ga. L. 1980, p. 611, § 2; Ga. L. 2010, p. 1207, § 51/SB 436; Ga. L. 2012, p. 663, § 2/HB 183.