§5-10B-10a. Matching contribution program.

(a) For a period commencing July 1, 2007, and continuing through September 30, 2012, the Treasurer is authorized to establish and operate a savings incentive program pursuant to section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, in which a state employee participating in the deferred compensation plan authorized in this article may receive certain matching contributions pursuant to this section. The Treasurer shall establish matching program guidelines in accordance with this article.

(b) To qualify for participation in the matching program, a state employee shall have contributed to his or her deferred compensation account not less than $10 every pay period during a fiscal year.

(c) (1) Subject to the limitations provided by subdivision (2) of this subsection and subsections (e) and (f) of this section, the Treasurer shall allocate and credit a matching sum of up to twenty-five percent of the contributions a qualified state employee made to his or her deferred compensation account during a fiscal year for a period of up to five fiscal years, which contributions shall be at least $10 in every pay period during the fiscal year and which matching contributions for any employee shall not exceed $100 in any one fiscal year and $400 total over the life of the matching program.

(2) The Treasurer shall set the amount of funds a qualified state employee may receive as a match in accordance with this section in an amount not to exceed the amount of funds authorized by the Legislature for this purpose.

(d) The matching contribution shall be remitted annually by the Treasurer from the West Virginia Deferred Compensation Matching Fund, which is hereby created, to the employee's account in the West Virginia Deferred Compensation Trust Fund no later than September 30, each year for the prior fiscal year.

(e) The Treasurer shall not obligate, authorize or pay any match for which funds are not available in the West Virginia Deferred Compensation Matching Fund.

(f) Operation of the matching program is contingent upon funding made available by the West Virginia Legislature and may be changed or discontinued at any time for a time certain or indefinitely, as determined by the Legislature or the Treasurer. The maximum amount of funds that may be expended from the Deferred Compensation Matching Fund in any one fiscal year is $1 million.

(g) On or before June 1, 2008, the unclaimed property administrator shall transfer the amount of $1 million from the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund to the Deferred Compensation Matching Fund for operation of the matching program.

(h) Moneys in the Deferred Compensation Matching Fund may be invested, in whole or in part, with the West Virginia Board of Treasury Investments or any other entity the Treasurer selects and all earnings shall accrue to and be retained by the fund.

(i) The State of West Virginia, the Treasurer and his or her employees, agents and representatives shall not be liable for any losses incurred by the Deferred Compensation Matching Fund.

(j) Any moneys remaining in the Deferred Compensation Matching Fund at the termination of the matching program shall be transferred to the General Revenue Fund of the state no later than December 31, 2012.

(k) Any public employer may elect to operate its own matching program.