HLS 15RS-2936 ENGROSSED
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 159
BY REPRESENTATIVES PEARSON AND GAROF ALO
RETIREMENT BENEFITS: Establishes the Task Force on State Retirement System
Sustainability
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To establish the Task Force on State Retirement System Sustainability to study the funding
3 and benefits of Louisiana's state public retirement systems and to make
4 recommendations to the legislature regarding the sustainability of such systems for
5 current and future employees.
6 WHEREAS, Louisiana maintains four state retirement systems for state employees
7and school employees; and
8 WHEREAS, the legislature has taken important steps in the past ten years to control
9and limit benefit costs while paying its debts off faster, such as twice implementing
10increased retirement eligibilities, dedicating increased payment streams toward its unfunded
11accrued liability obligations, scaling back the increasing payment schedule for prior debts,
12lowering the cost of state plans to a level dramatically less costly than even Social Security,
13and dedicating certain portions of nonrecurring revenue to unfunded accrued liability
14payments; and
15 WHEREAS, the health and funding of state retirement systems is of immediate
16concern to agencies, institutions of postsecondary education, and school districts, all of
17whom participate in the systems and are responsible for annual employer contributions; and
18 WHEREAS, it is important for the legislature's reform efforts to be evaluated and the
19current health and future sustainability of Louisiana's state retirement systems to be analyzed
20to determine whether further reforms are needed in order to ensure that the state can meet
21its retirement obligations to current and future employees.
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HCR NO. 159
1 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
2establish the Task Force on State Retirement System Sustainablity to study the current
3funding and benefits of the four state retirement systems and to investigate the need for
4further legislative reform relative to these systems.
5 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force on State Retirement System
6Sustainability shall be comprised of the following members:
7 (1)The speaker of the House of Representatives or his designee.
8 (2)The president of the Senate or his designee.
9 (3)The chairman of the House Committee on Retirement or his designee.
10 (4)The chairman of the Senate Committee on Retirement or his designee.
11 (5)The commissioner of administration or his designee.
12 (6)A representative of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana.
13 (7)A representative of the Louisiana Society of Certified Public Accountants.
14 (8)The manager of actuarial services for the Louisiana Legislative Auditor.
15 (9)Two representatives appointed jointly by the four state retirement systems.
16 (10)A representative of the Louisiana Budget Project.
17 (11)A representative of the Louisiana Public Pension Coalition.
18 (12)A representative appointed jointly by the Retired State Employees'
19 Association and the Louisiana Retired Teachers' Association.
20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the task force shall serve
21without compensation for such service, except per diem or expense reimbursement to which
22they may be individually entitled as members of the organizations they represent.
23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the chairman of the House Committee on
24Retirement or his designee shall serve as chairman of the task force and the chairman of the
25Senate Committee on Retirement or his designee shall serve as vice chairman.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a majority of the total membership shall
27constitute a quorum of the task force and that the presence of a quorum shall be required for
28the task force to transact business; no official action shall be taken by the task force unless
29a quorum is present.
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HCR NO. 159
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the names of the members selected to serve on
2the task force shall be submitted to the chairman of the task force not later than July 31,
32015, and that the chairman shall call the first meeting of the task force not later than
4September 15, 2015.
5 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall meet as necessary and shall
6submit its report of findings and recommendations to the speaker of the House of
7Representatives and the president of the Senate not later than January 7, 2016.
8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall terminate not later than
9March 1, 2016.
10 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
11to each of the following: the commissioner of administration, the Public Affairs Research
12Council of Louisiana, the Louisiana Society of Certified Public Accountants, The Louisiana
13Budget Project, the Louisiana Public Pension Coalition, the Retired State Employees'
14Association, the Louisiana Retired Teachers' Association, and the executive directors of the
15Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System, the Teachers' Retirement System of
16Louisiana, the Louisiana School Employees' Retirement System, and the State Police
17Retirement System.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 159 Engrossed 2015 Regular Session Pearson
Establishes the Task Force on State Retirement System Sustainability to study the current
funding and benefits of the four state retirement systems and to investigate the need for
further legislative reform relative to these systems, and to report all such matters to the
speaker of the House and the president of the Senate not later than Jan. 7, 2016, and to
terminate not later than March 1, 2016.
The task force is comprised of:
(1)The speaker of the House of Representatives or his designee.
(2)The president of the Senate or his designee.
(3)The chairman of the House Committee on Retirement or his designee.
(4)The chairman of the Senate Committee on Retirement or his designee.
(5)The commissioner of administration or his designee.
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HCR NO. 159
(6)A representative of the Public Affairs Research Council of La.
(7)A representative of the La. Society of Certified Public Accountants.
(8)The manager of actuarial services for the La. Legislative Auditor.
(9)Two representatives appointed jointly by the four state retirement systems.
(10)A representative of the La. Budget Project.
(11)A representative of the La. Public Pension Coalition.
(12)A representative appointed jointly by the Retired State Employees' Assoc.
and the La. Retired Teachers' Assoc.
Specifies that the members of the task force serve without compensation, except for
reimbursement or per diem they are individually entitled to as members of the organization
they represent. Names the chairman of the House Committee on Retirement or his designee
as the chairman and the chairman of the Senate Committee on Retirement or his designee
as the vice chairman. Provides that the names of the members shall be submitted to the
chairman of the task force by July 31, 2015, and that the chairman shall call the first meeting
of the task force no later than Sept. 15, 2015.
Summary of Amendments Adopted by House
The House Floor Amendments to the original resolution:
1. Add a representative from each of the following to the task force: the La. Budget
Project, the La. Public Pension Coalition, and a representative appointed jointly
by the Retired State Employees' Assoc. and the La. Retired Teachers' Assoc.
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