Colo. Rev. Stat. § 24-51-408, Matching employer contributions

(1) For members who receive a benefit or who receive a refund payable after meeting the age and service requirements for a service or reduced service retirement benefit, or for payments made to survivors or beneficiaries of members who die before retirement, matching employer contributions shall be an amount equal to the member contribution account less:

(a) Any amounts paid for the purchase of service credit;

(b) Any payments in lieu of member contributions; and

(2) For members who have five or more years of earned service credit and receive a refund prior to sixty-five years of age and prior to meeting the age and service requirements for a service or reduced service retirement benefit, the amount of matching employer contributions paid shall be one-half of an amount equal to the member contribution account less:

(a) Any amounts paid for the purchase of service credit;

(b) Any payments in lieu of member contributions; and

(2.5) Notwithstanding subsection (2) of this section, for a member who has less than five years of earned service credit as of the date of refund and who receives a refund prior to sixty-five years of age and prior to meeting the age and service requirements for a service or reduced service retirement benefit, the amount of matching employer contributions paid shall be one-half of an amount equal to the member contribution account accumulated prior to January 1, 2011, less:

(a) Any amounts paid for the purchase of service credit;

(b) Any payments in lieu of member contributions; and

(3) Notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2) of this section, for members of the local government division and for payments made to survivors or beneficiaries of such members who die before retirement, the amount of matching employer contributions shall be eighty percent of the amount that would be paid to members, survivors, or beneficiaries in divisions of the association other than the local government division if the local government division members had the same contribution history and age as the members of the other divisions. Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection (3) to the contrary, the amount of matching employer contributions for members of the local government division shall be as provided in subsections (1) and (2) of this section effective on July 1 of any year in which the most recent determination of the association's actuary specifies that such contributions for the local government division will not cause the amortization period in such division to exceed thirty years.

(4) The provisions of this section shall not apply to DPS member contribution accounts that exist on December 31, 2009, with regard to past contributions or future contributions. Member contribution accounts in the Denver public schools division created on or after January 1, 2010, shall be governed by this section.

Source: L. 95: Entire section added, p. 553, � 4, effective July 1. L. 99: IP(1) and IP(2) amended and (3) added, p. 338, � 3, effective July 1. L. 2004: (3) amended, p. 1944, � 18, effective January 1, 2006. L. 2005: (3) amended, p. 769, � 40, effective June 1. L. 2009: (4) added, (SB 09-282), ch. 288, p. 1341, � 22, effective January 1, 2010. L. 2010: IP(2) and (4) amended and (2.5) added, (SB 10-001), ch. 2, p. 7, � 8, effective January 1, 2011.

24-51-408.5. Matching employer contribution on voluntary contributions made by members to tax-deferred retirement programs. (1) For any member who makes a voluntary contribution to any eligible tax-deferred retirement program, the employer shall make a matching contribution on such voluntary contribution to the eligible tax-deferred retirement program subject to the provisions of this section. A member of the defined contribution plan pursuant to part 15 of this article shall not be eligible for matching contributions under this section on voluntary contributions made from salary earned as a member of the defined contribution plan.

(2) The tax-deferred retirement programs that are eligible to receive matching employer contributions in accordance with subsection (1) of this section shall include any tax-deferred retirement program in which the member participates:

(a) That is available to members and is either established in accordance with state law or sponsored by the employer; and

(b) (I) That is authorized under section 401 (k), 403 (b), or 457 of the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; or

(II) That is authorized as a defined contribution plan under section 401 (a) of the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

(3) The level of the matching employer contribution on voluntary contributions by members to eligible tax-deferred retirement programs shall be set by the board annually not later than September 1 of each year. The level set by the board shall apply for the following calendar year. The level shall be set separately for each division of the association and shall be based on the percentage of salary for each division available for matching contributions according to subsection (4) of this section. When setting the level of the matching employer contribution on voluntary contributions to eligible tax-deferred retirement programs, the board shall specify the percentage of a member's voluntary contribution to be matched by the employer and the maximum voluntary contribution by any member subject to the matching employer contribution.

(4) The matching employer contribution on voluntary contributions to eligible tax-deferred retirement programs shall terminate for payroll periods that end after the last day of the calendar month following April 2004 and thereafter shall resume only when the actuary determines that the actuarial value of assets exceeds one hundred ten percent of actuarial accrued liabilities. One-half of the amount of a reduction in the employer contribution rates as determined in subsection (5) of this section to amortize any overfunding in the respective division's trust fund shall be available for matching employer contributions.

(5) If the actuarial value of assets exceeds one hundred ten percent of the actuarial accrued liabilities in any division, as determined by the association's actuary, the division shall be considered overfunded by the amount of the difference. If a division is overfunded, the association's actuary shall determine not later than September 1 of each year the reduction in the employer contribution rates specified in section 24-51-401(1.7) necessary to amortize the overfunding in excess of one hundred ten percent up to one hundred fifteen percent of actuarial accrued liabilities over a period of thirty years. The amount of any overfunding in excess of one hundred fifteen percent of actuarial accrued liabilities shall be amortized over a period of twenty years. The calculation of the amount for any fiscal year of any decrease in the employer contribution rates due to overfunding shall be determined using the actuary's calculation from the preceding September 1.

(6) (a) If a division's trust fund is determined to be overfunded pursuant to subsection (5) of this section, then commencing with the fiscal year that begins following the actuary's calculation from the preceding September 1, the employer contribution rate specified in section 24-51-401 (1.7) for state division employers, for school division employers, local government division employers, and judicial division employers shall be reduced to amortize any overfunding in the respective division's trust fund by twenty percent of the amount of any reduction in the employer contribution rates as determined in accordance with subsection (5) of this section. The calculation of the amount of any reduction in the employer contribution rates due to overfunding shall be determined using the actuary's calculation from the preceding September 1.

(a.5) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2004, pp. 698, 1945, �� 5, 19, effective July 1, 2004, and January 1, 2006.)

(b) Each employer shall subtract from their regular contribution to the association an amount equal to the amount that the employer paid as matching contributions on members' voluntary contributions to eligible tax-deferred retirement programs pursuant to this section.

(c) In no event shall the total reduction in any division's employer contribution rate pursuant to this subsection (6) cause the employer contribution rate to be inadequate to pay contributions required for the health care trust fund as specified in section 24-51-208 (1)(f).

(7) Employers shall pay a matching contribution on a member's voluntary contribution directly to the eligible tax-deferred retirement program or programs to which the member contributes. Employers shall submit a report to the association concerning payments made pursuant to this subsection (7). The report shall include the amount of the voluntary contributions and matching employer contributions and the programs to which the contributions were paid.

(8) The provisions of this section shall not apply to employers affiliated with the Denver public schools division or DPS members.

Source: L. 99: Entire section added, p. 339, � 4, effective July 1, 2000. L. 2000: (5) and (6)(a) amended and (6)(a.5) added, p. 781, � 5, effective January 1, 2001. L. 2004: (4) and (5) amended, p. 697, � 4, effective April 30 and (6)(a), (6)(a.5), (6)(b), and (7) amended, p. 698, � 5, effective July 1; (1), (5), (6)(a), (6)(a.5), (6)(b), and (7) amended, p. 1945, � 19, effective January 1, 2006. L. 2005: (6)(a) amended, p. 769, � 41, effective June 1. L. 2009: (8) added, (SB 09-282), ch. 288, p. 1341, � 23, effective January 1, 2010.

Editor's note: Amendments to subsections (6)(a) and (7) by Senate Bill 04-132 and Senate Bill 04-257, effective January 1, 2006, were harmonized.