1. 1. The funds required for the operation of the retirement system created by sections 169.600 to 169.715 shall come from contributions made in equal amounts by employees as herein defined and their employers, beginning November 1, 1965, and from such interest or income as may be derived from the investment of funds of the system. All contributions shall be transmitted to the board of trustees by employers in such manner and at such times as the board by rule shall require.
2. 2. For each school year following the date on which the system becomes operative, each and every employer of one or more persons who are members of the system shall transmit to the board of trustees, in the manner and accompanied by such supporting data as the board shall prescribe, twice the amount that is deductible from the pay of such employee or employees during the school year. Failure or refusal to transmit such amount as required shall render the person or persons responsible therefor individually liable for twice the amount so withheld. Suits for the recovery of amounts for which individuals are thus rendered liable shall be instituted and prosecuted by the board of trustees in the name of the retirement system. In addition to such civil penalty, and not in lieu thereof, any person or persons made responsible for the remittance of contributions who shall willfully and knowingly fail or refuse to transmit such contributions or any part thereof to the board of trustees shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars and not more than two hundred dollars. Each day such person or persons shall so fail or refuse to transmit such contributions shall be deemed a separate offense. The board of trustees may request the employer to provide the information necessary to administer the system and to advise each member of such member's status.
3. 3. The contributions of members of the retirement system shall be collected by their employers through appropriate deductions from paychecks. The total amount deducted from the paychecks of members during any school year shall equal such a percent of their salary rates as may be required by the contribution rate then in effect. For contribution purposes any annual salary rate less than one thousand two hundred dollars shall be regarded as one thousand two hundred dollars. Contributions transmitted to the retirement system before February 20, 1996, based on salary rates which either included or excluded employer-paid medical benefits for members, shall be deemed to have been in compliance with this section. The retirement system shall not refund or adjust contributions or adjust benefit determinations with respect to any period before February 20, 1996, solely because of the treatment of employer-paid medical benefits for members. Effective December 31, 1995, compensation in excess of the limitations set forth in Section 401(a)(17) of Title 26 of the United States Code shall be disregarded for purposes of determining contributions pursuant to this section and calculating benefits paid by the nonteacher school employee retirement system of Missouri. The limitation on compensation for eligible employees shall not be less than the amount which was allowed to be taken into account under the system as in effect on July 1, 1993. For the purpose of this subsection, an "eligible employee" is an individual who was a member of the system before July 1, 1996.
4. 4. The contribution rate shall be three percent of earnings until July 1, 1982. The board of trustees is authorized to fix the level rate of contribution, which shall not exceed five percent, required for the operation of the system and to make adjustments in such rate as may thereafter be necessary; provided that, if the level rate required for the operation of the system shall exceed five percent for five consecutive years, all benefits herein provided shall be equitably reduced to such an extent that the rate required for the operation of the system shall be five percent.
5. 5. Regardless of the provisions of any law governing compensation and contracts, every employee shall be deemed to consent and agree to the deductions provided herein. Payment of salary or compensation less such deduction shall be a full and complete discharge of all salary or compensation claims and demands during the period covered by such payment, except as to the benefits provided pursuant to sections 169.600 to 169.715.
6. 6. A person serving as an employee as defined in section 169.600, who became a member after November 1, 1965, and before July 1, 1974, and who was regularly employed to serve for twenty or more hours per week at some time during the period November 1, 1965, to July 1, 1974, may receive membership service credit for such service by paying into the system the amount, with interest at such rate as may be set by the board within the limits set by law for interest rates, the person would have contributed had the person been eligible for membership.
7. 7. Any member who rendered service as an employee as defined in section 169.600 for a junior college district at any time between October 31, 1965, and the effective date of an agreement between the junior college and the board of trustees as provided in section 169.600 may elect to purchase membership service credit for that service. The election shall include all service for which the member is eligible to purchase credit, and shall be made prior to retirement. The purchase shall be effected by the member's paying to the system with interest, and within the time period allowed by law for the election, the contributions which would have been deducted from the employee's salary had the employee been a member during the period or periods of such service, and had the contribution rate in effect at the date of election been in effect at the time the service was rendered. Other provisions of law to the contrary notwithstanding, no membership credit shall be allowed pursuant to the provisions of this section which exceeds in length the member's creditable service for employment rendered after October 31, 1965.

(L. 1965 p. 298 § 3, A.L. 1969 p. 284, A.L. 1973 H.B. 411, A.L. 1975 H.B. 352, A.L. 1977 H.B. 135, A.L. 1981 S.B. 242, A.L. 1991 S.B. 242, et al., A.L. 1995 S.B. 378, A.L. 1996 S.B. 857, A.L. 1997 S.B. 309, A.L. 2000 H.B. 1808)

Effective 7-1-00