BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2233
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 5, 2004

            ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, RETIREMENT AND SOCIAL  
                                      SECURITY
                            Gloria Negrete McLeod, Chair
           AB 2233 (P.E.,R.&S.S. Com.) - As Introduced:  February 18, 2004
           
          SUBJECT  :  State teachers' retirement.

           SUMMARY  :  Makes technical non-substantive changes to Teachers'  
          Retirement Law. 
          Specifically,  this bill  :  

          1)Makes technical changes to various provisions of that law. 

          2)Declares that any act that amends or repeals any of the  
            sections amended by this act shall prevail over this act. 

           EXISTING LAW  

          1)Establishes the Defined Benefit Program of the State Teachers'  
            Retirement Plan. 

          2)Requires the governing board of a school district to grant an  
            employee a leave of absence to enable the employee to serve as  
            an elected officer of an employee organization.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :   None

           COMMENTS  :   

          This bill is sponsored by CalSTRS and does not contain all of  
          the provisions that will ultimately complete the bill.   
          According to the sponsor those provisions will be added in the  
          Senate.

           Arguments in Support
           
          According to CalSTRS, Assembly Bill 2233 is the annual  
          California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) technical  
          "housekeeping" bill.  The bill makes various grammatical,  
          technical and conforming changes to the Teachers' Retirement Law  
          (TRL) to facilitate efficient administration of the State  
          Teachers' Retirement Plan (Plan), which includes the Defined  
          Benefit (DB) Program, the Defined Benefit Supplement (DBS)  








                                                                  AB 2233
                                                                  Page  2

          Program, and the Cash Balance (CB) Benefit Program.   
          Specifically, the bill:

             1.   Adds the term "spouse" to clarify the nonmember spouse  
               payment requirements for purchasing additional service  
               credit;
             2.   Adds the term "Employees'" to clarify service performed  
               under the San Francisco City and County Employees'  
               Retirement System is excluded under the CalSTRS DB Program;
             3.   Eliminates the text "age and" to clarify that only  
               additional service credit is granted to DB Program members  
               under the 2-Year Retirement Incentive Program;
             4.   Replaces the text "purchase additional service credit"  
               with "redeposit refunded accumulated retirement  
               contributions" to clarify redeposit conditions under the DB  
               Program;
             5.   Eliminates the term "annual" in order to allow the  
               System to issue the earnings limit in advance of the  
               calendar year for which it is effective by using the CCPI  
               from the immediately preceding June;
             6.   Replaces the term "allowance" with "benefit" to clarify  
               the actuarial reduction applied to the retirement benefit  
               when a member elects the Partial Lump Sum under the DB  
               Program;
             7.   Clarifies the authority of the Teachers' Retirement  
               Board (Board) to set the employer contribution rate as a  
               plan amendment. 

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

          Support 
           
          State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS), Sponsor

           Opposition 
           
          None on file
           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Clem Meredith / P.E., R. & S.S. / (916)  
          319-3957