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, 2003.  
  2.2   If the appointment is not made in a timely way, or if there is a 
  2.3   vacancy, the Minnesota state auditor shall appoint the task 
  2.4   force member or the replacement member. 
  2.5      (d) The chair of the task force will be selected by the 
  2.6   task force.  
  2.7      (e) Staffing services for the task force must be provided 
  2.8   by the management analysis division. 
  2.9      Subd. 2.  [TASK FORCE DUTIES.] (a) The task force shall 
  2.10  conduct fact finding regarding the creation of a voluntary 
  2.11  statewide firefighter retirement plan. 
  2.12     (b) To determine the design and components of the potential 
  2.13  statewide plan, the task force shall contract with the 
  2.14  management analysis division of the department of administration 
  2.15  to conduct a statewide survey of current volunteer firefighter 
  2.16  relief associations on the topic and shall conduct a series of 
  2.17  public meetings throughout the state in which comments from 
  2.18  volunteer firefighter relief association members would be 
  2.19  obtained. 
  2.20     (c) The task force shall retain an actuary to study and 
  2.21  recommend a benefit level or levels of a potential statewide 
  2.22  volunteer firefighter retirement plan and the funding 
  2.23  requirements for the plan. 
  2.24     (d) The task force shall recommend the investment vehicle 
  2.25  or vehicles to be utilized by the plan, the administration and 
  2.26  corporate governance structure of the plan, the incentives 
  2.27  needed to formulate the plan, the limitations applicable to the 
  2.28  plan, and the state resources needed to be dedicated to the plan.
  2.29     Subd. 3.  [REPORT.] The task force shall prepare a report 
  2.30  detailing its findings about a potential statewide volunteer 
  2.31  firefighter retirement plan.  The report is due on January 15, 
  2.32  2005, and must be filed with the legislative reference library; 
  2.33  the chair of the legislative commission on pensions and 
  2.34  retirement; the chair of the state and local governmental 
  2.35  operations committee of the senate; the chair of the state 
  2.36  government, economic development, and the judiciary budget 
  3.1   division of the senate finance committee; the chair of the 
  3.2   governmental operations and veterans affairs policy committee of 
  3.3   the house of representatives; and the chair of the state 
  3.4   government finance committee of the house of representatives. 
  3.5      Subd. 4.  [DATA DISCLOSURE.] In performing their duties 
  3.6   under this section, the task force, the management analysis 
  3.7   division of the state department of administration, and the 
  3.8   consulting actuary retained by the task force shall have access 
  3.9   to relevant data on volunteer firefighter relief associations 
  3.10  held by the office of the state auditor and must comply with the 
  3.11  relevant provisions of Minnesota Statutes, chapter 13. 
  3.12     Subd. 5.  [APPROPRIATION.] (a) $300,000 is appropriated 
  3.13  from the general fund. 
  3.14     (b) Of the total amount in paragraph (a), $100,000 is 
  3.15  appropriated to the management analysis division of the 
  3.16  department of administration for conducting the statewide survey 
  3.17  under subdivision 2, paragraph (b).  $15,000 is appropriated to 
  3.18  the state auditor's office for providing staff support to the 
  3.19  task force.  $120,000 is appropriated to the commissioner of 
  3.20  administration to retain a consulting actuary to undertake work 
  3.21  described in subdivision 2.  The balance of the total amount in 
  3.22  paragraph (a) is appropriated to the commissioner of 
  3.23  administration to pay any other costs related to the volunteer 
  3.24  firefighter retirement plan task force for conducting the study, 
  3.25  to assist the task force in completing its report, the retention 
  3.26  of any professionals the task force deems necessary to the 
  3.27  completion of its tasks, and the preparation of its final report.
  3.28     (c) Upon the completion of the study and the filing of the 
  3.29  final report, any balance of the appropriation cancels to the 
  3.30  fire state aid program for distribution as part of the October 
  3.31  2004 fire state aid amounts. 
  3.32     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.33     Section 1 is effective the day following final enactment.