Utah Code 49-11-1401. Forfeiture of retirement benefits for employees for employment related offense convictions — Notifications — Investigations — Appeals
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(1) As used in this section:
Terms Used In Utah Code 49-11-1401
- Agency: means :(4)(a)(i) a department, division, agency, office, authority, commission, board, institution, or hospital of the state;(4)(a)(ii) a county, municipality, school district, special district, or special service district;(4)(a)(iii) a state college or university; or(4)(a)(iv) any other participating employer. See Utah Code 49-11-102
- Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
- Board: means the Utah State Retirement Board established under Section 49-11-202. See Utah Code 49-11-102
- Contributions: means the total amount paid by the participating employer and the member into a system or to the Utah Governors' and Legislators' Retirement Plan under Chapter 19, Utah Governors' and Legislators' Retirement Act. See Utah Code 49-11-102
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- defined contribution plan: means any defined contribution plan or deferred compensation plan authorized under the Internal Revenue Code and administered by the board. See Utah Code 49-11-102
- Employer: means any department, educational institution, or political subdivision of the state eligible to participate in a government-sponsored retirement system under federal law. See Utah Code 49-11-102
- Member: means a person, except a retiree, with contributions on deposit with a system, the Utah Governors' and Legislators' Retirement Plan under Chapter 19, Utah Governors' and Legislators' Retirement Act, or with a terminated system. See Utah Code 49-11-102
- Office: means the Utah State Retirement Office. See Utah Code 49-11-102
- Participating employer: means a participating employer, as defined by Chapter 12, Public Employees' Contributory Retirement Act, Chapter 13, Public Employees' Noncontributory Retirement Act, Chapter 14, Public Safety Contributory Retirement Act, Chapter 15, Public Safety Noncontributory Retirement Act, Chapter 16, Firefighters' Retirement Act, Chapter 17, Judges' Contributory Retirement Act, and Chapter 18, Judges' Noncontributory Retirement Act, or an agency financed in whole or in part by public funds which is participating in a system or plan as of January 1, 2002. See Utah Code 49-11-102
- Person: means :
(24)(a) an individual;(24)(b) an association;(24)(c) an institution;(24)(d) a corporation;(24)(e) a company;(24)(f) a trust;(24)(g) a limited liability company;(24)(h) a partnership;(24)(i) a political subdivision;(24)(j) a government office, department, division, bureau, or other body of government; and(24)(k) any other organization or entity. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5- Plan: means the Utah Governors' and Legislators' Retirement Plan created by Chapter 19, Utah Governors' and Legislators' Retirement Act, the New Public Employees' Tier II Defined Contribution Plan created by Chapter 22, Part 4, Tier II Defined Contribution Plan, the New Public Safety and Firefighter Tier II Defined Contribution Plan created by Chapter 23, Part 4, Tier II Defined Contribution Plan, or the defined contribution plans created under Section 49-11-801. See Utah Code 49-11-102
- Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
- Plea agreement: An arrangement between the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the defendant in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for special considerations. Source:
- Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
- Retirement: means the status of an individual who has become eligible, applies for, and is entitled to receive an allowance under this title. See Utah Code 49-11-102
- Service credit: means :
(50)(a) the period during which an employee is employed and compensated by a participating employer and meets the eligibility requirements for membership in a system or the Utah Governors' and Legislators' Retirement Plan, provided that any required contributions are paid to the office; and(50)(b) periods of time otherwise purchasable under this title. See Utah Code 49-11-102- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
- System: means the individual retirement systems created by Chapter 12, Public Employees' Contributory Retirement Act, Chapter 13, Public Employees' Noncontributory Retirement Act, Chapter 14, Public Safety Contributory Retirement Act, Chapter 15, Public Safety Noncontributory Retirement Act, Chapter 16, Firefighters' Retirement Act, Chapter 17, Judges' Contributory Retirement Act, Chapter 18, Judges' Noncontributory Retirement Act, and Chapter 19, Utah Governors' and Legislators' Retirement Act, the defined benefit portion of the Tier II Hybrid Retirement System under Chapter 22, Part 3, Tier II Hybrid Retirement System, and the defined benefit portion of the Tier II Hybrid Retirement System under Chapter 23, Part 3, Tier II Hybrid Retirement System. See Utah Code 49-11-102
- Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
(1)(a) “Convicted” means a conviction by plea or by verdict, including a plea of guilty or a plea of no contest that is held in abeyance under Title 77, Chapter 2a, Pleas in Abeyance, regardless of whether the charge was, or is, subsequently reduced in accordance with the plea agreement or reduced or dismissed in accordance with the plea agreement or the plea in abeyance agreement.(1)(b) “Employee” means a member of a system or plan administered by the board.(1)(c)(1)(c)(i) “Employment related offense” means a felony committed during employment or the term of an elected or appointed office with a participating employer that is:(1)(c)(i)(A) during the performance of the employee’s duties;(1)(c)(i)(B) within the scope of the employee’s employment; or(1)(c)(i)(C) under color of the employee’s authority.(1)(c)(ii) “Employment related offense” does not include any federal offense for conduct that is lawful under Title 26B, Chapter 4, Part 2, Cannabinoid Research and Medical Cannabis.(2)(2)(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, an employee shall forfeit accrual of service credit, employer retirement related contributions, including employer contributions to the employer sponsored defined contribution plans, or other retirement related benefits from a system or plan under this title in accordance with this section.(2)(b) The forfeiture of retirement related benefits under Subsection (2)(a) does not include the employee’s contribution to a defined contribution plan.(3) An employee shall forfeit the benefits described under Subsection (2)(a):(3)(a) if the employee is convicted of an employment related offense;(3)(b) beginning on the day on which the employment related offense occurred; and(3)(c) until the employee is either:(3)(c)(i) re-elected or reappointed to office; or(3)(c)(ii)(3)(c)(ii)(A) terminated from the position for which the employee was found to have committed an employment related offense; and(3)(c)(ii)(B) rehired or hired as an employee who is eligible to be a member of a Utah state retirement system or plan.(4) The employee’s participating employer shall:(4)(a) immediately notify the office:(4)(a)(i) if an employee is charged with an offense that is or may be an employment related offense under this section; and(4)(a)(ii) if the employee described in Subsection (4)(a)(i) is acquitted of the offense that is or may be an employment related offense under this section; and(4)(b) if the employee is convicted of an offense that may be an employment related offense:(4)(b)(i) conduct an investigation, which may rely on the conviction, to determine:(4)(b)(i)(A) whether the conviction is for an employment related offense; and(4)(b)(i)(B) the date on which the employment related offense was initially committed; and(4)(b)(ii) after the period of time for an appeal by an employee under Subsection (5), immediately notify the office of the employer’s determination under this Subsection (4)(b).(5) An employee may appeal the employee’s participating employer’s determination under Subsection (4)(b) in accordance with the participating employer’s procedures for appealing agency action, including Title 63G, Chapter 4, Administrative Procedures Act, if applicable.(6)(6)(a) Notwithstanding Subsection (4), a district attorney, a county attorney, the attorney general’s office, or the state auditor may notify the office and the employee’s participating employer if an employee is charged with an offense that is or may be an employment related offense under this section.(6)(b) If the employee’s participating employer receives a notification under Subsection (6)(a), the participating employer shall immediately report to the entity that provided the notification under Subsection (6)(a):(6)(b)(i) if the employee is acquitted of the offense;(6)(b)(ii) if the employee is convicted of an offense that may be an employment related offense; and(6)(b)(iii) when the participating employer has concluded the participating employer’s duties under this section if the employee is convicted, including conducting an investigation, making a determination under Subsection (4)(b) that the conviction was for an employment related offense, and notifying the office under Subsection (7).(6)(c) The notifying entity under Subsection (6)(a) may assist the employee’s participating employer with the investigation and determination described under Subsection (4)(b).(7) Upon receiving a notification from a participating employer that the participating employer has made a determination under Subsection (4)(b) that the conviction was for an employment related offense, the office shall immediately forfeit any service credit, employer retirement related contributions, including employer contributions to the employer sponsored contribution plans, or other retirement related benefits accrued by or made for the benefit of the employee, beginning on the date of the initial employment related offense determined under Subsection (4)(b).(8) This section applies to an employee who is convicted on or after the effective date of this act for an employment related offense.(9) The board may make rules to implement this section.(10) If any provision of this section, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of this section shall be given effect without the invalid provision or application.