District magistrate judges; expenses; retirement system

(a) District magistrate judges shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties in the same manner and to the same extent district judges are reimbursed for such expenses. (b) Commencing with the first day of the first payroll period of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1994, district magistrate judges who make an election as provided in K.S.A. 20-2620 and district magistrate judges who are elected or appointed on and after July 1, 1993, shall become members of the retirement system for judges and shall be subject to and covered by the provisions of article 26 of chapter 20 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated. For such purpose a district magistrate judge shall be considered a district judge. If, upon entry into the retirement system for judges, a district judge has prior service under the Kansas public employees' retirement system, any retirement benefits to which such judge was entitled under the Kansas public employees' retirement system and retirement benefits under the retirement system for judges shall become vested whenever the total service under both systems equals 10 years, and upon such judge's retirement, each such retirement system shall be liable for the payment of retirement benefits under such system in the proportion that the years of such judge's service under such system bears to such judge's total years of service under both such systems.