County employees' retirement: retiree organizations.

The County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 authorizes counties to establish retirement systems pursuant to its provisions in order to provide pension benefits to county, city, and district employees. That law authorizes a county retirement board to give effect to a revocable written authorization signed by a retired member or beneficiary of a retired member entitled to a retirement allowance or benefit for the deduction of a specified amount for various purposes, including, among others, paying for group life insurance, group disability insurance, prepaid group medical or hospital service plans, and dental plans approved by the board. This bill would further allow for written authorization of, and deduction for, payments to a recognized retiree organization and payment for any retiree benefit programs available through the recognized retiree organization, as specified. Under the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937, the retirement board in specified counties is comprised of 9 members. In those counties, the board is authorized 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, as defined. This bill would instead authorize that list of nominees to be submitted by a recognized retiree organization. The bill would also define "recognized retiree organization" for purposes of the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937, and would make related conforming and technical changes. The County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 requires the retirement board to provide to any retiree organization that is recognized by the board reasonable advance notice of proposed changes to the retirement benefits offered by the system or the use of excess funds of the retirement system. That law also requires that the organization have a reasonable opportunity to comment prior to any formal action by the board on the proposed changes. This bill would require the board, upon request from a recognized retiree organization, to cooperate with and assist the organization in distributing communications regarding membership in and retiree benefit programs available through the organization to all or a portion of the retired members of the system. The bill would require that the content of those communications be wholly the responsibility of the recognized retiree organization. The bill would also authorize the board to charge a reasonable fee for those mailings, as specified.