§ 45-21-2 - Definitions.
SECTION 45-21-2
§ 45-21-2 Definitions. – The following words and phrases as used in this chapter have the followingmeanings unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context:
(1) "Accumulated contributions" means the sum of all amountsdeducted from the compensation of a member and credited to his or herindividual account in the members' contribution reserve account.
(2) "Active member" means any employee of a participatingmunicipality as defined in this section for whom the retirement system iscurrently receiving regular contributions pursuant to sections 45-21-41,45-21-41.1 or 45-21.2-14.
(3) "Actuarial reserve" means the present value of allpayments to be made on account of any annuity, retirement allowance, orbenefit, computed upon the basis of mortality tables adopted by the retirementboard with regular interest.
(4) "Beneficiary" means any person in receipt of a retirementallowance, annuity, or other benefit as provided by this chapter.
(5) For purposes of this chapter, "domestic partner" shall bedefined as a person who, prior to the decedent's death, was in an exclusive,intimate and committed relationship with the decedent, and who certifies byaffidavit that their relationship met the following qualifications:
(i) Both partners were at least eighteen (18) years of ageand were mentally competent to contract;
(ii) Neither partner was married to anyone else;
(iii) Partners were not related by blood to a degree whichwould prohibit marriage in the state of Rhode Island;
(iv) Partners resided together and had resided together forat least one year at the time of death; and
(v) Partners were financially interdependent as evidenced byat least two (2) of the following:
(A) Domestic partnership agreement or relationship contract;
(B) Joint mortgage or joint ownership of primary residence;
(C) Two (2) of: (I) Joint ownership of motor vehicle; (II)Joint checking account; (III) Joint credit account; (IV) Joint lease; and/or
(D) The domestic partner had been designated as a beneficiaryfor the decedent's will, retirement contract or life insurance.
(6) "Effective date of participation" means the date on whichthe provisions of this chapter have become applicable to a municipalityaccepting the provisions of the chapter in the manner stated in § 45-21-4.
(7) "Employee" means any regular and permanent employee orofficer of any municipality, whose business time at a minimum of twenty (20)hours a week is devoted to the service of the municipality, including electiveofficials and officials and employees of city and town housing authorities.Notwithstanding the previous sentence, the term "employee", for the purposes ofthis chapter, does not include any person whose duties are of a casual orseasonal nature. The retirement board shall decide who are employees within themeaning of this chapter, but in no case shall it deem as an employee anyindividual who annually devotes less than twenty (20) business hours per weekto the service of the municipality and who receives less than the equivalent ofminimum wage compensation on an hourly basis for his or her services, except asprovided in § 45-21-14.1. Casual employees mean those persons hired for anoccasional period to perform special jobs or functions not necessarily relatedto the work of regular employees. Any commissioner of a municipal housingauthority, or any member of a part-time state board commission, committee orother authority is not deemed to be an employee within the meaning of thischapter.
(8) "Final compensation" means the average annualcompensation, pay, or salary of a member for services rendered during theperiod of three (3) consecutive years within the total service of the memberwhen the average was highest, and as the term average annual compensation isfurther defined in subdivision 36-8-1(4).
(9) "Fiscal year" means the period beginning on July 1 in anyyear and ending on June 30 of the next succeeding year.
(10) "Full actuarial costs" or "full actuarial value" meanthe lump sum payable by a member claiming service credit for certain employmentfor which payment is required, which is determined according to the age of themember and his or her annual rate of compensation at the time he or she appliesfor service credit, and which is expressed as a rate percent of the annual rateof compensation to be multiplied by the number of years for which he or sheclaims the service credit, as prescribed in a schedule adopted by theretirement board, from time to time, on the basis of computation by the actuary.
(11) "Governing body" means any and all bodies empowered toappropriate monies for, and administer the operation of, the units as definedin subdivision (1) of this section.
(12) "Member" means any person included in the membership ofthe retirement system as provided in § 45-21-8.
(13) "Municipality" means any town or city in the state ofRhode Island, any city or town housing authority, fire, water, sewer district,regional school district, public building authority as established by chapter14 of title 37, or any other municipal financed agency to which the retirementboard has approved admission in the retirement system.
(14) "Participating municipality" means any municipalitywhich has accepted this chapter, as provided in § 45-21-4.
(15) "Prior service" means service as a member renderedbefore the effective date of participation as defined in this section,certified on his or her prior service certificate, and allowable as provided in§ 45-21-15.
(16) "Regular interest" means interest compounded annually asdetermined by the retirement board based upon the experience of the system.
(17) "Retirement allowance" or "annuity" means the amountspaid to any member of the municipal employees' retirement system of the stateof Rhode Island, or a survivor of the member, as provided in this chapter. Allretirement allowances or annuities shall be paid in equal monthly installmentsfor life, unless otherwise specifically provided.
(18) "Retirement board" means the state retirement boardcreated by chapter 8 of title 36.
(19) "Retirement system" means the "municipal employees'retirement system of the state of Rhode Island" as defined in § 45-21-32.
(20) "Service" means service as an employee of a municipalityof the state of Rhode Island as defined in subdivision (7).
(21) "Total service" means prior service as defined insubdivision (15) plus service rendered as a member on or after the effectivedate of participation.