State employees and officials group insurance-legislators.

WORKING DRAFT
2009
STATE OF
WYOMING
09LSO-0253

HOUSE BILL
NO.
HB0040

State employees and official
s
group insurance-legislators.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Zwonitzer, Dv.

A BILL

for

AN ACT
relating to state employees and officials group insurance; providing for enrollment by legislators;
granting rulemaking authority
; providing a definition;
providing an appropriation;
and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of
Wyoming
:

Section 1.

W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
219 is created to read:

9
‑
3
‑
219.

Legislator membership in plan.

(a)

Subject to subsection (d) of this section, a member of the
Wyoming
legislature is eligible for coverage under the group insurance plan at premium rates established by the department provided:

(i)

Any member of the legislature eligible for membership in the group insurance plan on
January 7, 2013
shall have thirty-one (31) days to either elect to be enrolled or not be enrolled in the plan. The department shall establish the procedure by which eligible legislators shall notify the department of their decision within the prescribed thirty-one (31) day period;

(ii)

An eligible member of the legislature who takes office after
January 7, 2013
has thirty-one (31) days from the date he takes office to elect to be enrolled or not be enrolled in the group insurance plan;

(iii)

Members of the legislature who elect not to be enrolled within the time prescribed in paragraphs (i) and (ii) of this subsection may be enrolled at a later date upon conditions the department may impose, such as a specified open enrollment period and the exclusion of preexisting conditions from coverage
;

(iv)

T
he legislature
shall
annually
appropriate
from the general fund
to the legislative service office
amounts necessary to fully fund the employer's
and member's
contribution
s
for those eligible and enrolled
members of
the
legislature
.

(b)

Any eligible member of the legislature may elect to have his dependents covered by the group insurance plan as follows:

(i)

The election shall be made at the time the member of the legislature becomes enrolled in the plan, under procedures the department may establish. If dependent coverage is
not elected at the time that a
member of the legislature becomes enrolled in the plan, dependent coverage may be elected at a later date under conditions the department may impose, such as a specified open enrollment period and the exclusion of preexisting conditions from coverage;

(ii)

Any member of the legislature who has elected to have his dependents covered as provided in paragraph (i) of this subsection, and who subsequently has a change in the number of his dependents, may at the time of the change increase or decrease the number of his dependents covered by the group insurance plan under procedures established by the department;

(iii)

Any member of the legislature who has no eligible dependents at the time he becomes enrolled in the group insurance plan, and who later has an eligible dependent may, at the time his dependency status changes, elect coverage for the dependent under procedures established by the department.

(c)

The department shall establish procedures by which the eligible members of the legislature shall make application within the thirty-one (31) day period provided under subsection (a) of this section.

(d)

The department shall, by rule and regulation, establish a process by which former members of the legislature shall be treated as retirees for purposes of obtaining or maintaining coverage under the plan after the member is no longer a member of the legislature.

Section 2.

W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
203(a)(xiv) and by creating a new paragraph (xv) and 9
‑
3
‑
207 by creating a new subsection (e) are amended to read:

9
‑
3
‑
203.

Definitions.

(a)

As used in this act:

(xiv)

"This act" means W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
202 through
9
‑
3
‑
218
.

9
‑
3
‑
219
;

(xv)

"Member of the legislature" means a duly elected
or appointed
member of the Wyoming senate or house of representatives
as of
a
date
which is two (2) years after
the member is
first
sworn into office and until the member is removed from office, resigns, is deceased or a new member is sworn in for that person's seat in the legislature
.

9
‑
3
‑
207.

Eligibility for membership in plan; state employees; 31 day period to elect enrollment; new employees; later enrollment.

(e)

A
member of the legislature
is eligible for coverage under the group insurance plan subject to the provisions of W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
219.

Section
3
.

This act is effective J
anuary

7
, 20
13
.

(END)

1
HB0040