1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to retirement; volunteer firefighter relief
1.3 	associations; creating a task force to study the
1.4 	advantages and disadvantages of the creation of a
1.5 	statewide volunteer firefighter retirement plan;
1.6 	appropriating money.
1.7 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.8 	Section 1. STUDY OF STATEWIDE LUMP-SUM VOLUNTEER
1.9 	FIREFIGHTER RETIREMENT PLAN; CREATION OF TASK FORCE.
 1.10 		Subdivision 1.Task force membership. (a) A statewide
1.11 	Volunteer Firefighter Retirement Plan Study Task Force is
1.12 	created.
1.13 	(b) The task force members are:
1.14 	(1) four members appointed by the president of the
1.15 	Minnesota Area Relief Association coalition;
1.16 	(2) four members appointed by the president of the
1.17 	Minnesota State Fire Department Association;
1.18 	(3) four members appointed by the president of the
1.19 	Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association;
1.20 	(4) four members appointed by the board of directors of the
1.21 	League of Minnesota Cities;
1.22 	(5) two members appointed by the board of directors of the
1.23 	Insurance Federation of Minnesota;
1.24 	(6) two members appointed by the board of directors of the
1.25 	Minnesota Association of Farm Mutual Insurance Companies; and 
1.26 	(7) the Minnesota state auditor or the auditor's designee.
2.1 	(c) Appointments must be made on or before July 1, 2005.
2.2 	If the appointment is not made in a timely manner, or if there
2.3 	is a vacancy, the state auditor shall appoint the task force
2.4 	member or the replacement member.
2.5 	(d) The chair of the task force shall be selected by the
2.6 	task force.
2.7 	(e) Administrative services for the task force must be
2.8 	provided by the Department of Public Safety.
2.9 		Subd. 2.Task force duties. (a) The task force shall
2.10 	conduct fact finding regarding the creation of a statewide
2.11 	volunteer firefighter retirement plan.
2.12 	(b) The task force shall recommend the investment vehicle
2.13 	or vehicles to be utilized by the plan, the administration and
2.14 	corporate governance structure of the plan, the incentives
2.15 	needed to formulate the plan, the limitations applicable to the
2.16 	plan, and the state resources needed to be dedicated to the plan.
2.17 		Subd. 3.Report. The task force shall prepare a report
2.18 	detailing its findings about a potential statewide volunteer
2.19 	firefighter retirement plan.  The report is due January 15,
2.20 	2006, and must be filed with the Legislative Reference Library;
2.21 	the chair of the Legislative Commission on Pensions and
2.22 	Retirement; the chair of the State and Local Governmental
2.23 	Operations Committee of the senate; the chair of the State
2.24 	Government, Economic Development, and Judiciary Budget Division
2.25 	of the senate Finance Committee; the chair of the Governmental
2.26 	Operations and Veterans Affairs Policy Committee of the house of
2.27 	representatives; and the chair of the State Government Finance
2.28 	Committee of the house of representatives.

2.29 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 2.30 	$40,000 is appropriated from the general fund in fiscal
2.31 	year 2006 to the commissioner of public safety to hire a
2.32 	consultant to assist the statewide Volunteer Firefighter
2.33 	Retirement Plan Study Task Force.

2.34 	Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
 2.35 	Sections 1 and 2 are effective the day following final
2.36 	enactment.