Public employees' retirement: investments: Turkish investment vehicles.

The California Constitution provides that the Legislature may by statute prohibit retirement board investments if it is in the public interest to do so, and providing that the prohibition satisfies specified fiduciary standards. Existing law prohibits the Public Employees' Retirement System and the State Teachers' Retirement System from investing public employee retirement funds in a company with active business operations in Sudan and in Iran, as specified. This bill would additionally prohibit the Public Employees' Retirement System and the State Teachers' Retirement System from investing public employee retirement funds in a Turkish investment vehicle, as specified. The bill would require the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System and the Teachers' Retirement Board of the State Teachers' Retirement System to sell or transfer any investments in a Turkish investment vehicle. This bill would require these boards, on or before January 1, 2017, and annually thereafter, to report to the Legislature any investments in a Turkish investment vehicle and the sale or transfer of those investments, subject to the fiduciary duty of these boards. This bill would indemnify from the General Fund and hold harmless the present, former, and future board members, officers, and employees of and investment managers under contract with those retirement systems.