00 HOUSE BILL NO. 258                                                                                                      
01 "An Act relating to membership on the board of the teachers' retirement                                                 
02 system."                                                                                                                
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1.  AS 14.25.035(a) is amended to read:                                                                    
05  (a)  There is established the Alaska Teachers' Retirement Board as follows:                                           
06   (1)  the governor shall appoint three [FIVE] members for overlapping                                               
07 three-year terms; two members shall be members of the system elected by a                                              
08 majority of the votes cast by active and inactive members of the system and by                                          
09 persons receiving a benefit under this chapter; each [ONE] member of the board                                       
10 must be a resident and must be a member of the system or must be [WHO IS]                                             
11 receiving retirement benefits under this chapter; statewide teacher organizations may                                   
12 submit to the governor a list of recommended nominees to serve on the board;                                            
13   (2)  the governor shall appoint physicians authorized to practice                                                    
14 medicine in the state to serve as members of the board only for the purpose of hearing                                  
01 appeals to determine medical eligibility for disability benefits under AS 14.25.130; the                                
02 governor shall appoint two physicians each from at least two of the state's four judicial                               
03 districts; the Public Employees' Retirement Board and the Teachers' Retirement Board                                    
04 may submit to the governor a list of recommended physicians to serve on the board;                                      
05 the two physician members from the judicial district in which a disability appeal                                       
06 hearing is conducted shall serve on the board during the hearing; if one or more of the                                 
07 physicians in the judicial district in which a disability hearing is conducted is unable                                
08 to serve at the hearing, or if there is no physician member from that judicial district,                                
09 other physician members shall serve at the hearing, selected for such hearings on a                                     
10 rotating basis, in accordance with regulations adopted by the board; physician members                                  
11 serve at the pleasure of the governor.                                                                                  
12    * Sec. 2.  AS 14.25.035(b) is amended to read:                                                                       
13  (b)  Members of the board appointed or elected under (a)(1) of this section do                                      
14 not receive compensation for their services on the board. Physician members of the                                      
15 board are entitled to hourly compensation for their services at a rate to be determined                                 
16 by the commissioner of administration.  The rate of compensation shall be consistent                                    
17 with the physicians' normal hourly earnings.  All members of the board are entitled                                     
18 to travel expenses and per diem when it is necessary to travel.                                                         
19    * Sec. 3.  AS 14.25.035 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                               
20  (k)  The board shall conduct the elections for members elected under (a) of this                                      
21 section.  The term of office of a member elected under (a) of this section is six years.                                
22 A vacancy in an unexpired elective term shall be filled by election for a new six-year                                  
23 term.                                                                                                                   
24    * Sec. 4.  TRANSITION.  Notwithstanding amendments to AS 14.25.035 made by this Act,                                 
25 a member of the Teachers' Retirement Board serving on the day before the effective date of                              
26 this Act may continue to serve until the member's term expires.  On the expiration of the term                          
27 of each of the first two members who were not appointed as physician members and whose                                  
28 terms expire on or after the effective date of this Act, the board shall hold elections under                           
29 AS 14.25.035 as amended by this Act.