02/22/2000 08:06 AM House STA

HB 335-STATE RETIREMENT SYSTEMS AND BENEFITS                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Number 0020                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR JAMES  announced the first  order of business is  HOUSE BILL                                                              
NO. 335, "An  Act relating to information contained  in retirement                                                              
system  records;  relating  to  retirement   boards;  relating  to                                                              
procedures and  hearings under state retirement  systems; relating                                                              
to benefits for reemployed retired  members of retirement systems;                                                              
relating to eligibility  for normal retirement for  members of the                                                              
teachers' retirement system who have  Alaska BIA credited service;                                                              
relating to  disability benefits  for members of  state retirement                                                              
systems;  relating  to  deduction   of  premiums  from  retirement                                                              
benefits; relating  to protection of, and assignment  and transfer                                                              
of, amounts  held in  retirement systems;  relating to  retirement                                                              
benefits for certain employees earning  high salaries; relating to                                                              
qualified domestic  relations orders in state  retirement systems;                                                              
relating to the  definition of 'retirement fund'  in the teachers'                                                              
retirement system;  relating to membership  of state  employees in                                                              
the   teachers'  retirement   system;   relating   to  refund   of                                                              
contributions  made to the  judicial retirement  system or  to the                                                              
former elected public officers retirement  system and repayment of                                                              
refunded  contributions  in  those   systems;  relating  to  self-                                                              
insurance  and   excess  loss  insurance  for   persons  receiving                                                              
benefits   from   a   state   retirement   system;   relating   to                                                              
participation  of  elected  officials  in  the  public  employees'                                                              
retirement system;  relating to reinstatement of  credited service                                                              
in the public employees' retirement  system after a refund because                                                              
of certain  levies; relating  to the  level income option  benefit                                                              
under  the  public  employees'  retirement   system;  relating  to                                                              
participation  of employees of  political subdivisions  and public                                                              
organizations   in  the  public   employees'  retirement   system;                                                              
relating  to  penalties   for  attempts  to  defraud   the  public                                                              
employees'  retirement  system;  relating  to  the  definition  of                                                              
'pension  fund'  in  the  public   employees'  retirement  system;                                                              
relating to calculation of years  of service and of benefits under                                                              
the  public  employees'  retirement system  for  non  certificated                                                              
employees  of  certain  educational  employers;  and  relating  to                                                              
individual accounts  maintained for members of the  former elected                                                              
public officers retirement system."                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Number 0100                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MELINDA  HOFSTAD,  Legislative Assistant  to  Representative  Bill                                                              
Hudson,  Alaska   State  Legislature,  offered  Amendment   1,  1-                                                              
LS1217\H.1, Cramer, 2/21/00, which read:                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 7, lines 17-29:                                                                                                       
          Delete all material.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Page 24, lines 812:                                                                                                        
          Delete all material.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Page 24, line 30, through page 25, line 3:                                                                                 
          Delete all material.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Page 33, line 26:                                                                                                          
          Delete "sec.30"                                                                                                       
          Insert "sec.29"                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     Page 33, line 29:                                                                                                          
          Delete "sec. 30"                                                                                                      
          Insert "sec. 29"                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS. HOFSTAD requested  that Guy Bell come forward  and discuss the                                                              
amendments.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Number 0178                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
GUY  BELL,   Director,  Division   of  Retirement  and   Benefits,                                                              
Department  of Administration,  reminded the  committee that  last                                                              
week the proposed  committee substitute (CS) [Version  H] had been                                                              
discussed section  by section,  and questions  were asked  that he                                                              
would answer  today.   He suggested  that Sections  9, 44,  and 46                                                              
regarding recovery  from disability  be dropped entirely  from the                                                              
proposed CS; the amendment was written accordingly.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MR. BELL,  in response to a  question from Chair  James, explained                                                              
that since the proposed CS discusses  technical cleanup issues and                                                              
not policy  issues, it  would be advisable  to handle  Sections 9,                                                              
44, and 46 in a different manner.   Through the hearing process he                                                              
now understands recovery from disability to be a policy issue.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Number 0350                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR JAMES  made it  clear that  the proposed  CS is a  technical                                                              
cleanup, not to  change policy; Amendment 1 removes  policy issues                                                              
from the proposed CS.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Number 0417                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SMALLEY made a motion  to adopt Amendment 1.  There                                                              
being no objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Number 0470                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GREEN  made a motion  to move CSHB 335,  version 1-                                                              
LS1217\H,  Cramer,  2/13/00 [as  amended]  out of  committee  with                                                              
individual  recommendations  and  attached  fiscal notes.    There                                                              
being  no objection,  CSHB  335(STA) moved  from  the House  State                                                              
Affairs Standing Committee.