2-18-703. Contributions. (1) Each agency, as defined in 2-18-601, and the state compensation insurance fund shall contribute the amount specified in this section toward the group benefits cost.
     (2) For employees defined in 2-18-701 and for members of the legislature, the employer contribution for group benefits is $557 a month from January 2007 through December 2007, $590 a month from January 2008 through December 2008, and $626 for January 2009 and for each succeeding month. For employees of the Montana university system, the employer contribution for group benefits is $557 a month from July 2006 through June 2007, $590 a month from July 2007 through June 2008, and $626 for July 2008 and for each succeeding month. If a state employee is terminated to achieve a reduction in force, the continuation of contributions for group benefits beyond the termination date is subject to negotiation under 39-31-305. Permanent part-time, seasonal part-time, and temporary part-time employees who are regularly scheduled to work less than 20 hours a week are not eligible for the group benefit contribution. An employee who elects not to be covered by a state-sponsored group benefit plan may not receive the state contribution. A portion of the employer contribution for group benefits may be applied to an employee's costs for participation in Part B of medicare under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, as amended, if the state group benefit plan is the secondary payer and medicare the primary payer.
     (3) For employees of elementary and high school districts and of local government units, the employer's premium contributions may exceed but may not be less than $10 a month. Subject to the public hearing requirement provided in 2-9-212(2)(b), the increase in a local government's property tax levy for premium contributions for group benefits beyond the amount of contributions in effect on the first day of the last fiscal year is not subject to the mill levy calculation limitation provided for in 15-10-420.
     (4) Unused employer contributions for any state employee must be transferred to an account established for this purpose by the department of administration and upon transfer may be used to offset losses occurring to the group of which the employee is eligible to be a member.
     (5) Unused employer contributions for any government employee may be transferred to an account established for this purpose by a self-insured government and upon transfer may be used to offset losses occurring to the group of which the employee is eligible to be a member or to increase the reserves of the group.
     (6) The laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of marital status in Title 49 do not prohibit bona fide group insurance plans from providing greater or additional contributions for insurance benefits to employees with dependents than to employees without dependents or with fewer dependents.

     History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 174, L. 1957; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 83, L. 1965; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 200, L. 1967; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 220, L. 1969; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 382, L. 1971; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 188, L. 1974; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 359, L. 1975; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 437, L. 1975; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 259, L. 1977; amd. Sec. 11, Ch. 563, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 11-1024(2); amd. Sec. 13, Ch. 678, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 421, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 207, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 11, Ch. 710, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 740, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 370, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 661, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 171, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 11, Ch. 660, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 171, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 720, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 758, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 13, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 9, Ch. 640, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 12, Ch. 455, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 417, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 9, Ch. 558, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 314, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 511, L. 2001; amd. Secs. 6, 9, Ch. 553, L. 2001; amd. Secs. 2, 4, Ch. 529, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 552, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 6, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 13, Ch. 81, L. 2007.