AB 156

Under the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), with certain exceptions, all

employees of a participating employer are participating employees in the WRS. As

participating employees, the employees may receive all retirement benefits under

the WRS. The major exceptions for participating employee status include employees

who work less than two-thirds time or who are not expected to work longer than a

year.

This bill permits an employer that is not currently a participating employer in

the WRS, but which elects to become a participating employer in the WRS after the

bill's effective date, to be a participating employer only with respect to employees

hired on or after the date on which the employer elects to participate in the WRS.

In other words, an employer may choose not to include its current employees in the

WRS. Any employer that makes such an election shall do so in writing on a form

provided by the Department of Employee Trust Funds (DETF). The bill, however,

allows a local government employer to exclude any of its public utility employees who

already receive from the employer substantially similar retirement benefits to those

provided under the WRS, as determined by DETF.

Because this bill relates to public employee retirement or pensions, it may be

referred to the Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems for a report to be

printed as an appendix to the bill.