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2016 SESSION

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HB 665 Employee Retirement Security & Pension Reform, Commission on; established, report, sunset provision.

Introduced by: William J. Howell | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS PASSED: (all summaries)

Commission on Employee Retirement Security and Pension Reform established. Creates the Commission on Employee Retirement Security and Pension Reform (the Commission) in the legislative branch to study and make recommendations relating to the financial soundness of retirement plans covering state and local government employees; the suitability of retirement plans offered or maintained for current state and local government employees and the attributes of retirement plans that will be suitable for future employees; the impact on state and local governments of the anticipated retirement of experienced employees between 2016 and 2026 and strategies for replacing such employees; and the elements of compensation and benefits packages that are essential to attracting and retaining a highly productive state and local government workforce.

The Commission will be composed of 11 legislative members, eight nonlegislative citizen members, and two state officials. Legislative members from the House of Delegates will include the Speaker of the House of Delegates, the Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, the Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, and three members of the House of Delegates to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates. Legislative members from the Senate will include the Majority Leader of the Senate, any Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance who is not the Majority Leader of the Senate, and three members of the Senate to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules. Five nonlegislative citizen members will be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, one of whom will be appointed from a list of five nominees jointly submitted by the Virginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Municipal League, one of whom will be appointed from a list of three nominees submitted by the Virginia Governmental Employees Association, and one of whom will be appointed from a list of three nominees submitted by the Virginia Education Association. The Senate Committee on Rules will appoint three nonlegislative citizen members, one of whom will be appointed from a list of five nominees jointly submitted by the Virginia Sheriffs' Association and the Virginia State Police Association. The Directors of the Department of Human Resource Management and the Virginia Retirement System will serve on the Commission ex officio with nonvoting privileges. All other Commission members will have voting privileges.

The Commission will initially focus on the financial soundness of retirement plans covering state and local government employees and strategies for reducing unfunded liabilities under such plans. The Commission is authorized to employ actuaries and other experts, conduct statistical analyses, engage in financial modeling, and undertake such other activities as are consistent with its duties. The costs for such actuaries, experts, statistical analyses, and financial models utilized to study retirement plans, retirement options, and other retirement matters on behalf of state and local employees participating in the Virginia Retirement System will be paid by the Virginia Retirement System. The costs for any non-retirement analysis or consultation will not be paid from funds of the Virginia Retirement System.

The Department of Human Resource Management will provide staff support to the Commission. Technical assistance will be provided by the staff of the Virginia Retirement System, the Committee on House Appropriations, the Committee on Senate Finance, and the Division of Legislative Services.

The bill provides for the Commission's work to end on July 1, 2021.


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