(a) (1) There is hereby created within state government the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Investment Board, which shall consist of nine members, with the Treasurer serving as chair, as follows:
(A) The Treasurer.
(B) The Director of Finance, or his or her designee.
(C) The Controller.
(D) An individual with retirement savings and investment expertise appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules.
(E) An employee representative appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.
(F) A small business representative appointed by the Governor.
(G) A public member appointed by the Governor.
(H) Two additional members appointed by the Governor.
(2) Members of the board appointed by the Governor, the Senate Committee on Rules, and the Speaker of the Assembly shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority.
(b) All members of the board shall serve without compensation. Members of the board shall be reimbursed for necessary travel expenses incurred in connection with their board duties.
(c) A board member, program administrator, and other staff of the board shall not do any of the following:
(1) Directly or indirectly have any interest in the making of any investment made for the program, or in the gains or profits accruing from any investment made for the program.
(2) Borrow any funds or deposits of the trust, or use those funds or deposits in any manner, for himself or herself or as an agent or partner of others.
(3) Become an endorser, surety, or obligor on investments by the board.
(d) The board and the program administrator and staff, including contracted administrators and consultants, shall discharge their duties as fiduciaries with respect to the trust solely in the interest of the program participants as follows:
(1) For the exclusive purposes of providing benefits to program participants and defraying reasonable expenses of administering the program.
(2) By investing with the care, skill, prudence, and diligence under the circumstances then prevailing that a prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with those matters would use in the conduct of an enterprise of a like character and with like aims.
(e) The board, subject to its authority and fiduciary duty, shall design and implement the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program.
(1) (A) For up to three years following the initial implementation of the program, the board shall establish managed accounts invested in United States Treasuries, myRAs, or similar investments.
(B) The board shall have the authority to provide for investment in myRAs, provided that, in accordance with the myRA provisions, myRA contributions and investment returns shall only be used for myRA investments and to make distributions to, or for the benefit of, participants and shall not be used to pay any costs of administration.
(2) (A) During period described in paragraph (1), the board shall develop and implement an investment policy that defines the program’s investment objectives and shall establish policies and procedures enabling investment objectives to be met in a prudent manner. The board shall seek to minimize participant fees and strive to implement program features that provide maximum possible income replacement balanced with appropriate risk in an IRA-based environment. The policy shall describe the investment options available to holders of individual savings accounts established as part of the program. Investment options may encompass a range of risk and return opportunities and allow for a rate of return commensurate with an appropriate level of risk to meet the investment objectives stated in the policy.
(B) The board may also develop investment option recommendations that address risk-sharing and smoothing of market losses and gains. Investment option recommendations may include, but are not limited to, the creation of a reserve fund or the establishment of customized investment products. Implementation of an investment option recommendation pursuant to this subparagraph shall be contingent upon subsequent approval by the Legislature.
(3) After the period described in paragraph (1) has expired, the board shall annually prepare and adopt a written statement of investment policy that includes a risk management and oversight program. The board shall consider the statement of investment policy and any changes in the investment policy at a public hearing.
(4) The risk management and oversight program shall include an effective risk management system to monitor the risk levels of the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program investment portfolio and ensure that the risks taken are prudent and properly managed. The program shall be managed to provide an integrated process for overall risk management on both a consolidated and disaggregated basis, and to monitor investment returns as well as risk to determine if the risks taken are adequately compensated compared to applicable performance benchmarks and standards.
(f) The board shall approve an investment management entity or entities, the costs of which shall be paid out of funds held in the trust and shall not be attributed to the administrative costs of the board in operating the trust. Not later than 30 days after the close of each month, the board shall place on file for public inspection during business hours a report with respect to investments made pursuant to this section and a report of deposits in financial institutions.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 804, Sec. 2. (SB 1234) Effective January 1, 2017.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018