(a) The Georgia agricultural commodity commissions are declared to be adjuncts of the Georgia Department of Agriculture, such commissions providing for the promotion of the production, marketing, sales, uses and utilization, processing, and improvement of the agricultural products of this state and producers connected therewith. All employees of any of the agricultural commodity commissions set forth in Code Section 2-8-5 shall be subject to a merit system of personnel administration established by the commissions, pursuant to which such employees shall be employed. All employees shall perform services on the basis of merit, fitness, and efficiency. The establishment of this merit system prior to July 1, 1976, shall be a prerequisite to coverage of the commissions under the retirement system.

(b) Persons employed by any of the agricultural commodity commissions on July 1, 1976, may elect to become members of Division A of the retirement system; but persons entering or reentering into employment with any of the agricultural commodity commissions after July 1, 1976, shall, as a condition of employment, become members of Division A of the retirement system, provided that no person so employed shall become a member unless his position normally requires actual performance of duty during not less than nine months of the year. The commencement date for the inclusion of employees of any of the agricultural commodity commissions within the retirement system shall be July 1, 1976.

(c) The Georgia Department of Agriculture shall ensure that the employees' contributions required under this chapter are deducted and collected from each member and remitted to the retirement system; and the Commissioner of Agriculture is authorized and directed to take any necessary action to ensure that the employer contributions under this chapter are paid from the funds of the agricultural commodity commissions. Such employer contributions shall be paid by the Commissioner to the retirement system upon receipt of an invoice from the retirement system.

(d) The board of trustees is authorized to promulgate all necessary rules and regulations for the implementation of this Code section, including, but not limited to, regulations and rules dealing with any required reports of employment and remission of contributions by the administrative officials of the agricultural commodity commissions.

(e)(1) This subsection shall apply only to an employee of an agricultural commodity commission employed on July 1, 1976.

(2) An employee of an agricultural commodity commission who is subject to the provisions of this subsection shall, upon furnishing proof of prior employment to the board of trustees, be eligible to receive creditable service under this retirement system for prior employment as an employee of such commission, subject to the requirements of this subsection. Any such employee must pay to the board of trustees the employee contributions, plus accrued interest thereon at the rate of 5 percent per annum, compounded annually, which would have been paid during the period of prior employment if the employee had been a member of the retirement system during such period. The commission shall pay from any funds available to the commission the employer contributions, plus accrued interest thereon at the rate of 5 percent per annum, compounded annually, which would have been paid during such period of prior employment. For a member claiming creditable service for prior employment under this subsection, the board of trustees shall determine the period of time that the payments to the board of trustees provided for under this subsection will fund as creditable service under the retirement system without creating any additional accrued liability of the retirement system. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection, the amount of creditable service so determined shall be the creditable service to which the member is entitled.

(3) The authority shall be authorized to supplement, if necessary, the payments made to the board of trustees under paragraph (2) of this subsection all or any part of the amount which the board of trustees determines will fully fund as creditable service the total amount of prior employment of the employee without creating any additional accrued liability of the retirement system. If such supplement is paid to the board of trustees by the commission, the employee shall receive such creditable service under the retirement system for prior employment as an employee of the commission as the amount so paid will fund without creating any additional accrued liability of the retirement system.