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. 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. 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 public education 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. The board of trustees shall fix and certify to the employers the level rate of contribution subject to the following:

(1) The level rate of contribution for a fiscal year shall not exceed the level rate of contribution for the prior fiscal year by more than one-quarter percent;

(2) The board shall fix and certify to the employers the rate of contribution for a fiscal year no later than six months prior to the date such rate is to be effective;

(3) The board shall fix and certify to the employers the rate of contribution for a fiscal year based on an actuarial valuation of the system as of a date not earlier than the last day of the second prior fiscal year. Such actuarial valuation of the system shall be performed using processes and actuarial assumptions that are in accordance with actuarial standards of practice in effect at the time the valuation is performed, as promulgated by the actuarial standards board or its successor; provided that such actuarial valuation shall be based on the entry age normal actuarial cost method and an asset valuation method based on the market value of system assets that may provide for smoothing of investment gains and losses, and further, that the level rate of contribution shall be the total of the normal cost and a rate which shall amortize the unfunded actuarial accrued liability over a period that shall not exceed thirty years from the date of the valuation, subject to the limitations of this subsection; and

(4) Not less than once every ten years the board shall have an actuary, other than the actuary performing the actuarial valuation pursuant to this section, review such actuarial valuation and perform an additional actuarial valuation of the system.

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. 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. Notwithstanding any other provision of sections 169.600 to 169.715 to the contrary, no legislation shall be enacted after July 1, 2003, that increases benefits provided to members or retirees of the public education employee retirement system of Missouri above that which may be funded using a rate of contribution of five percent as determined using an actuarial valuation as provided in subsection 4 of this section; provided that, notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, legislation may be enacted after July 1, 2003, that provides for an extension of time within which a member may make an election pursuant to subdivision (4) of subsection 1 of section 169.670.