Florida Statutes
Chapter 650 - Social Security for Public Employees
650.03 - Federal-State Agreement; Interstate Instrumentalities.


(1) The state agency with the approval of the Governor, is hereby authorized to enter on behalf of the state into an agreement with the Federal Security Administrator, consistent with the terms and provisions of this chapter, for the purpose of extending the benefits of the Federal Old-age and Survivors Insurance System to employees of the state or any political subdivision thereof with respect to services specified in such agreement which constitutes “employment” as defined in s. 650.02. Such agreement may contain such provisions relating to coverage, benefits, contributions, effective date, modification and termination of the agreement, administration, and other appropriate provisions as the state agency and the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare shall agree upon, but, except as may be otherwise required by or under the Social Security Act as to the services to be covered, such agreement shall provide in effect that:
(a) Benefits will be provided for employees whose services are covered by the agreement (and their dependents and survivors) on the same basis as though such services constituted employment within the meaning of Title II of the Social Security Act;
(b) The state will pay to the Secretary of the Treasury, at such time or times as may be prescribed under the Social Security Act, contributions with respect to wages (as defined in s. 650.02), equal to the sum of the taxes which would be imposed by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act if the services covered by the agreement constituted employment within the meaning of that act.
(c) Such agreement shall be effective with respect to services in employment covered by the agreement performed after January 1, 1951;
(d) All services which constitute employment as defined in s. 650.02 and are performed in the employ of the state by employees of the state, shall be covered by the agreement.
(e) All services which:
1. Constitute employment as defined in s. 650.02;
2. Are performed in the employ of a political subdivision of the state; and
3. Are covered by a plan which is in conformity with the terms of the agreement and has been approved by the state agency under s. 650.05, shall be covered by the agreement.

(f) As modified, the agreement shall include all services described in either paragraph (d) or paragraph (e) of this subsection and performed by individuals to whom s. 218(c)(3)(C) of the Social Security Act is applicable, and shall provide for election by the employer as to whether the service of any such individual shall continue to be covered by the agreement in case she or he thereafter becomes eligible to be a member of a retirement system.
(g) As modified, the agreement shall include all services described in either paragraph (d) or paragraph (e) of this subsection and performed by individuals in positions covered by a retirement system with respect to which the Governor has issued a certificate to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare pursuant to s. 218(d)(3) of the Social Security Act, as amended.

(2) Any instrumentality jointly created by this state and any other state or states is hereby authorized, upon the granting of like authority by such other state or states:
(a) To enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare whereby the benefits of the Federal Old-age and Survivors Insurance System shall be extended to employees of such instrumentality;
(b) To require its employees to pay (and for that purpose to deduct from their wages) contributions equal to the amounts which they would be required to pay under s. 650.04(1) if they were covered by an agreement made pursuant to subsection (1); and
(c) To make payments to the Secretary of the Treasury in accordance with such agreement, including payments from its own funds, and otherwise to comply with such agreements. Such agreement shall, to the extent practicable, be consistent with the terms and provisions of subsection (1) and other provisions of this chapter.

(3) Where a retirement system established by the state or any political subdivision thereof covers positions of police officers or firefighters, or both, and whether or not other positions are covered by such system, there shall, for the purposes of this chapter, be deemed to be a separate retirement system with respect to the positions of police officers and a separate retirement system with respect to the positions of firefighters.
(4) For the purposes of this chapter any retirement system established by the state or any political subdivision thereof, which, on, before, or after the date of enactment of this subsection is divided into two divisions or parts, one of which is composed of positions of members of such system who desire coverage under an agreement under this chapter and the other of which is composed of positions of members of such system who do not desire such coverage, shall, upon the Governor’s authorization of a referendum for either division or part, be deemed to be a separate retirement system with respect to each such division or part. The positions of individuals who become members of such system after such coverage is extended shall be included in such division or part composed of members desiring such coverage. The position of any individual which is covered by any retirement system to which the preceding two sentences are applicable shall, if such individual is ineligible to become a member of such system on the date of enactment of this subsection or, if later, the day she or he first occupies such position, be deemed to be covered by the separate retirement system consisting of the positions of members of the division or part who do not desire coverage under this chapter.
(5) For purposes of this chapter, employees of the institutions of higher learning under the Board of Governors of the State University System who are covered by the Teachers’ Retirement System shall be deemed to be covered by a separate retirement system for each institution.
(6) If a retirement system covers positions of employees of a hospital which is an integral part of a municipal political subdivision, then, for the purposes of this chapter, there shall be deemed to be a separate retirement system for the employees of such hospital.
History.—s. 3, ch. 26841, 1951; s. 4, ch. 28246, 1953; ss. 6, 7, 8, 9, ch. 29824, 1955; s. 1, ch. 57-226; s. 1, ch. 57-780; s. 1, ch. 61-138; s. 2, ch. 63-204; s. 504, ch. 97-102; s. 62, ch. 2007-217.