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.