(a) The following shall apply to all political subdivisions subject to this part:

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 9-3-506

  • Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
  • Pension plan: means the defined benefit pension plan established and maintained by a political subdivision for its employees, excluding a political subdivision's participation in the Tennessee consolidated retirement system pursuant to title 8, chapters 34-37. See Tennessee Code 9-3-503
  • Political subdivision: means any local governmental entity, including, but not limited to any municipality, metropolitan government, county, utility district, school district, public building authority, housing authority, emergency communications district, and development district created and existing pursuant to the laws of this state, or any instrumentality of government created by any one (1) or more of the named local governmental entities. See Tennessee Code 9-3-503
  • Political subdivision employee: means any person in the employ of a political subdivision who participates in the political subdivision's pension plan. See Tennessee Code 9-3-503
  • Unfunded accrued liability: means the actuarially determined accrued liabilities of the pension plan that are greater than the actuarially determined value of the pension plan assets. See Tennessee Code 9-3-503
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1)

(A) For political subdivision employees hired on or after May 22, 2014, the political subdivision may freeze, suspend or modify benefits, employee contributions, plan terms and design on a prospective basis;
(B) Subdivision (a)(1)(A) does not affect any judicial precedents or statutory law as they apply to employees who were employed prior to May 22, 2014;
(2) For any pension plan that is funded below sixty percent (60%), the political subdivision shall not establish a benefit enhancement until it has received written approval by the state treasurer. For the purposes of this subdivision (a)(2), “benefit enhancement” means any change in member benefits, benefit structure, or benefit formula provided by a political subdivision relative to its pension plan that, according to the political subdivision’s actuary, will or is estimated to permanently, temporarily, or intermittently increase either the employer or employee contributions or the liabilities of the pension plan; and
(3) For political subdivisions with an existing pension plan as of May 22, 2014, the political subdivision shall not establish a new pension plan that changes the funding policy, increases the employer cost, or adds to the unfunded accrued liability of an existing pension plan until it has received written approval from the state treasurer. For the purposes of this subdivision (a)(3), a political subdivision establishes a new pension plan by taking any or a combination of the following actions:

(A) Establishing a tier that has not been previously provided as part of a pension plan;
(B) Reopening a previously closed pension plan or previously closed tier of a pension plan; or
(C) Establishing a plan that is different from the political subdivision’s existing pension plan.
(b) The accrued benefits earned prior to any adjustment pursuant to subdivision (a)(1) shall remain an enforceable right and may not be reduced without the written consent of the political subdivision employee, unless the employee is subject to the forfeiture of the employee’s retirement benefits in accordance with § 8-35-124.
(c)

(1) Notwithstanding any other law, for political subdivision employees hired on or after May 22, 2014, nothing under state law confers to participants in the pension plan an implied right to future retirement benefit arrangements, and such participants may not assert the indefinite continuation of the retirement formulas, contribution rates, eligibility ages, or any other provision of the pension plan.
(2) Subdivision (c)(1) does not affect any judicial precedents or statutory law as they apply to employees who were employed prior to May 22, 2014.
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