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20LSO-0412
2020
STATE OF WYOMING
20LSO-0412
Numbered
2.0
SENATE FILE NO. SF0084
Life insurance plan-legislators.
Sponsored by: Management Council
A BILL
for
AN ACT relating to the administration of government; providing for enrollment of legislators in the life insurance plan within the state employees' and officials' group insurance plan; authorizing rulemaking; and providing for an effective date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1.
W.S. 9
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3
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220 is created to read:
9
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3
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220.
Legislator membership in life insurance plan.
(a)
A member of the Wyoming legislature is eligible for coverage under the life insurance plan administered by the department at premium rates established by the department provided:
(i)
Any member of the legislature eligible for membership in the life insurance plan on January 2, 2023 shall be enrolled in the plan unless the member elects within thirty
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one (31) days not to be enrolled in the plan. The department shall establish the procedure by which eligible members of the legislature shall notify the department of their decision not to be enrolled in the plan within the prescribed thirty
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one (31) day period;
(ii)
An eligible member of the legislature who takes office after January 2, 2023 shall be enrolled in the life insurance plan unless the member elects within thirty
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one (31) days from the date the member takes office not to be enrolled in the life 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;
(iv)
The premium rates established by the department for each eligible and enrolled member of the legislature shall be equal to the costs attributable to the premium for the member's participation in the life insurance plan. The premium rates shall not include costs attributable to any other portion of the group insurance plan. The legislature shall appropriate to the legislative service office amounts necessary to fully fund an employer's and member's contributions for those eligible and enrolled members of the legislature.
(b)
Any eligible member of the legislature may elect to have the member's dependents covered by the life insurance plan administered by the department as follows:
(i)
The election shall be made at the time the member of the legislature becomes enrolled in the life insurance 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 life insurance plan, dependent coverage may be elected at a later date under conditions the department may impose, such as a specified open enrollment period;
(ii)
Any member of the legislature who has elected to have the member's dependents covered as provided in paragraph (i) of this subsection, and who subsequently has a change in the number of dependents, may at the time of the change increase or decrease the number of dependents covered by the life insurance plan under procedures established by the department;
(iii)
Any member of the legislature who has no eligible dependents at the time the member becomes enrolled in the life insurance plan, and who later has an eligible dependent may, at the time the member's dependency status changes, elect coverage for the dependent under procedures established by the department.
(c)
A member of the legislature shall be deemed as a person employed on a regular, halftime basis for purposes of obtaining and maintaining coverage under the life insurance plan administered by the department.
Section 2.
W.S. 9
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3
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201(a) and 9
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3
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203(a) by creating a new paragraph (xvii) and by amending and renumbering (xvii) as (xviii) are amended to read:
9
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3
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201.
Group prepaid plans authorized; agreements with insurance companies authorized; limitation on authorized plans and companies; payroll deductions; self
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insurance programs; optional school district participation in plan.
(a)
The state of Wyoming and its political subdivisions and school districts may obtain group prepaid plans or insurance for life, health, accident or hospitalization for their employees and for elected officials
, except for members of the legislature,
and enter into agreements with prepaid plans or insurance companies to provide this coverage.
Unless participation is based
upon employment, other qualifying status or holding other office, members of the legislature shall not be eligible to participate in the state employees' and officials' group insurance plan except as provided in W.S. 9
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3
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220 related to coverage under the life insurance plan administered by the department.
Insurance coverage for school district or board of cooperative educational services employees meeting the definition of employee under W.S. 9
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3
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203(a)(iv), shall, if elected by the district or board under subsection (e) of this section, be provided through the state employees' and officials' group insurance plan in accordance with W.S. 9
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3
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202 through 9
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3
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218. Insurance coverage for retired school district or board of cooperative educational services employees shall, if elected by the board or district under subsection (e) of this section and if the retired employee was continuously covered under the board's or district's insurance plan prior to the election, be provided through the state employees' and officials' group insurance plan in accordance with W.S. 9
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3
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202 through 9
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3
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218. If a school district or board of cooperative educational services elects to cease participation in the group insurance plan
pursuant to subsection (f) of this section, the election shall apply to retired employees of that board or district who are receiving coverage under this subsection.
9
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3
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203.
Definitions.
(a)
As used in this act:
(xvii)
"Member of the legislature" means a duly elected or appointed member of the Wyoming legislature commencing when the member's term begins if elected or upon being sworn into office if appointed and until such time as the member's seat is vacated as provided in W.S. 22
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18
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101 or the member's term ends;
(xvii)
(xviii)
"This act" means W.S. 9
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3
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202 through
9
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3
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219
9
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3
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220
.
Section 3.
This act shall not be construed to prohibit participation or coverage of a member of the legislature in the state employees' and officials' group insurance plan if participation is based upon employment,
other qualifying status or holding of an office other than as a member of the legislature.
Section 4.
This act is effective January 2, 2023
.
(END)
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SF0084