BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �






          SENATE PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT & RETIREMENT   BILL NO:  SB 1382
          Gloria Negrete McLeod, Chair Hearing date:  April 9, 2012
          SB 1382 (Negrete McLeod)    as amended  3/27/12          
          FISCAL:  NO

           1937 ACT COUNTY RETIREMENT SYSTEMS:  RETIREE ORGANIZATONS
           

           HISTORY  :

              Sponsor:  California Retired County Employees Association

              Prior legislation:  SB 203 (Correa), 2011
                         Chapter 124, Statutes of 2011
           

          SUMMARY  :

          SB 1382 amends the 1937 Act County Retirement Law ('37 Act) 
          to clarify terminology related to recognized retiree 
          organizations, the items that a retiree under that system may 
          have deducted from his or her pay warrant, and the nature and 
          extent of assistance provided to the recognized retiree 
          organization by the retirement system with regard to mailings 
          to the retiree organization's members.


           BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS  :
          
           1)Existing law  :

             a)   establishes the 1937 Act County Employees' Retirement 
               Law, which covers 20 independent county retirement 
               systems, each governed by an independent board of 
               retirement.

             b)   authorizes the retirement board to appoint an 
               alternate retired member to the office of the 8th member 
               of the board, from a list of nominees submitted by a 
               qualified retiree organization.

             c)   allows certain deductions to be taken from the 
               retiree's warrant to make various payments, such as for 
          Pamela Schneider
          Date:  4/04/12                                         Page 1 










               medical premiums and life insurance, payments to 
               charitable organizations, and payment of personal income 
               taxes.

             d)   requires a retirement board to notify the retiree 
               organization with advance notice of any proposed program 
               changes or uses of excess funds, and to allow the 
               retiree organization reasonable time to comment prior to 
               any formal action taken by the board on the proposed 
               changes.

             e)   contains references to retiree organizations using 
               varying terminology.



           1)This bill  :

             a)   defines the term "recognized employee organization" 
               and amends various references to retiree organizations 
               so that the term is used consistently.

             b)   allows a retiree's payment for any retiree benefit 
               program available through a retiree organization to be 
               deducted from the retiree's pay warrant.

             c)   requires that, upon the recognized retiree 
               reorganization's request, the retirement system shall 
               assist the organization in distributing communications 
               regarding membership in, and retiree programs available 
               through, the retiree organization to some or all of the 
               retirees in the system.

             d)   specifies that the content of the communications 
               shall be the responsibility of the retiree organization 
               and that the retirement system may charge the 
               organization a reasonable fee for the mailings, which 
               may not exceed the actual cost to the system.
           

          COMMENTS  :

          1)   Argument in Support  :
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          Date:  4/04/12                                         Page 2 











          According to the sponsor,

            "SB 1382 would make the '37 Act and a related Government 
            Code section internally consistent with respect to 
            references to the organization recognized by the Board of 
            Retirement as representing retirees of the system (the 
            recognized retiree organization), and clearly define such 
            organization.  The bill would also clarify the types of 
            deductions that may be made from a retirement allowance 
            upon written authorization by a retiree.  Finally, it would 
            establish a means by which the recognized retiree 
            organization can communicate by mail with the retirees it 
            represents, and make the organization responsible for the 
            costs. In this manner, the recognized retiree organization 
            can fulfill its obligations to those they represent."

          2)   SUPPORT  :

            California Retired County Employees Association (CRCEA), 
            Sponsor

          3)   OPPOSITION :

            None to date




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          Pamela Schneider
          Date:  4/04/12                                         Page 3