The state of Washington in behalf of all its eligible officials and employees and the eligible officials and employees of all its counties, cities and towns, and of any and all other of its municipal corporations and political subdivisions which levy taxes and employ and pay salaries and wages to officials and employees including public utility districts, hereby accepts the benefits of the old age and survivors' insurance benefit provisions of the federal social security act, whenever the provisions of such act are extended to embrace such officials and employees.

Any and all officials and boards having charge of the preparation of payrolls and payment of salaries and wages to such eligible officials and employees are hereby authorized and directed to make payroll and salary and wage deductions and to handle and dispose of the same as required by such federal act; and any official or board being authorized to disburse funds respectively for the office, department or division of the state, county, city or town, or other municipal corporation or political subdivision in which any such eligible official or employee is employed is authorized to pay and disburse out of any funds available for the operation and maintenance of such office, department or division such sums and dispose of and handle the same in such manner as is required and necessary to make payments and benefits of said federal act available to such eligible officials and employees.

Nothing contained in this chapter shall deprive any person of benefits under any existing pension system, nor repeal, amend, modify or supersede any law, charter amendment or ordinance establishing or pertaining to an existing pension system.

If it is found by any judicial authority of competent jurisdiction that the provisions of this chapter may not become applicable to any group of officials or employees for any reason, such inapplicability shall not prevent the same from becoming applicable as herein provided to the other officials and employees embraced herein.

This chapter shall take effect at the time and in the manner provided by the state Constitution unless at that time the federal social security act has not been amended to cover officials and employees of the state, county, city and other municipal corporations and political subdivisions, in which event it shall take effect and become operative on the first day of the second month following the month when such federal act shall become applicable to such state officials and employees.