(a) The following provisions shall govern eligibility for membership in the Tennessee consolidated retirement system for employees of a prison contractor providing correctional services as defined in § 41-24-102(2)(F):

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 41-24-112

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • contractor: means any entity entering a contractual agreement with the commissioner to provide correctional services to inmates under the custody of the department. See Tennessee Code 41-24-102
  • Correctional services: means the following functions, services and activities, when provided within a prison or otherwise:
    (A) Education, training and jobs programs. See Tennessee Code 41-24-102
  • Department: means the department of correction. See Tennessee Code 41-24-102
  • facility: means any adult institution operated by or under the authority of the department. See Tennessee Code 41-24-102
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) Department of correction employees in positions under the control and supervision of the department that become subject to a contract with a prison contractor and who are members of the retirement system immediately preceding the contract implementation date shall remain eligible to continue membership under the same conditions that apply to state employees. Those employees shall make the same contributions and be eligible for the same benefits as state employees; and
(2) Any other person, including any person employed or re-employed after the date a prison contractor assumes the management and operation of a department facility, shall not be eligible for membership in the Tennessee consolidated retirement system.
(b) An employee who participates in the Tennessee consolidated retirement system may not participate in any retirement plan offered by the prison contractor. Any employee eligible under subsection (a) may continue membership or may elect to withdraw membership from the retirement system as follows:

(1) An election to withdraw shall take place within thirty (30) days after the employee completes one (1) year of employment under the prison contractor;
(2) Upon the election to withdraw, the employee may receive a refund of accumulated contributions;
(3) The election to withdraw constitutes a waiver of any right, present or future, to reestablish that service at a later date based on employment at a correctional facility under a prison contractor; and
(4) If an election to withdraw is not made within the thirty-day period, the employee shall be deemed to have elected continued membership in the retirement system. Withdrawal at a later date will be permitted only upon the termination of service with the prison contractor.
(c) In no event will a department employee be allowed to retire and receive benefits while continuing employment with a prison contractor.
(d) The prison contractor shall make normal contributions, special accrued liability contributions, and cost of living contributions, as determined by an actuarial valuation, in the same way as for state employee members, for one (1) year for each employee described in subsection (b) and for each employee who thereafter elects to continue membership in the retirement system.
(e) The prison contractor shall pay contributions to the board of trustees of the retirement system according to a schedule set by the board.
(f) The department shall serve as administrative agent between the prison contractor and the Tennessee consolidated retirement system.
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