Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Chapter 85 - Administration and Miscellaneous Provisions
Section 8501 - Public School Employees' Retirement Board

(a) Status and membership.--The board shall be an independent administrative board and shall consist of 15 members: the Secretary of Education, ex officio; the State Treasurer, ex officio; the Secretary of Banking and Securities, ex officio; two Senators; two members of the House of Representatives; the executive secretary of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, ex officio; one to be appointed by the Governor; three to be elected by the active professional members of the system and active professional participants in the plan from among their number; one to be elected by annuitants and Class DC participants receiving distributions, from among their number; one to be elected by the active nonprofessional members of the system and active nonprofessional participants in the plan from among their number; and one to be elected by members of Pennsylvania public school boards from among their number. The appointments made by the Governor shall be confirmed by the Senate and each election shall be conducted in a manner approved by the board. The terms of the appointed and nonlegislative elected members shall be three years. The members from the Senate shall be appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate and shall consist of one member from the majority and one member from the minority. The members from the House of Representatives shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and shall consist of one member from the majority and one member from the minority. The legislative members shall serve on the board for the duration of their legislative terms and shall continue to serve until 30 days after the convening of the next regular session of the General Assembly after the expiration of their respective legislative terms or until a successor is appointed for the new term, whichever occurs first. The chairman of the board shall be elected by the board members. Each ex officio member of the board and each legislative member of the board may appoint a duly authorized designee to act in his stead. In the event that a board member, who is designated as an active participant or as the participant in the plan who is receiving or is eligible to receive distributions, receives a total distribution of the board member's interest in the plan, that board member may continue to serve on the board for the remainder of his term.
(b) Vacancies.--A vacancy occurring during the term of any member shall be filled for the unexpired term by a successor appointed or elected as the case may be in the same manner as his predecessor.
(c) Oath of office.--Each member of the board shall take an oath of office that he will, so far as it devolves upon him, diligently and honestly administer the affairs of said board, the system and the plan and that he will not knowingly violate or willfully permit to be violated any of the provisions of law applicable to this part. Such oath shall be subscribed by the member making it and certified by the officer before whom it is taken and shall be immediately filed in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
(d) Compensation and expenses.--The members of the board who are members of the system or participants in the plan shall serve without compensation. Members of the board who are members of the system or participants in the plan and who are employed by a governmental entity shall not suffer loss of salary or wages through serving on the board. The board, on request of the employer of any member of the board who is an active professional or nonprofessional member of the system or active professional or nonprofessional participant in the plan, may reimburse such employer for the salary or wages of the member or participant, or for the cost of employing a substitute for such member or participant, while the member or participant is necessarily absent from employment to execute the duties of the board. The employer of any such member shall provide leave to allow such member to execute the duties of the board, including but not limited to, attendance at the location of all regular and special board and committee meetings. The members of the board who are not members of either the school system or the State Employees' Retirement System may be paid $100 per day when attending meetings and all board members shall be reimbursed for any necessary expenses. However, when the duties of the board as mandated are not executed, no compensation or reimbursement for expenses of board members shall be paid or payable during the period in which such duties are not executed.
(e) Corporate power and legal advisor.--For the purposes of this part, the board shall possess the power and privileges of a corporation. The board shall be an independent agency under the act of October 15, 1980 (P.L.950, No.164), known as the Commonwealth Attorneys Act.
(f) Board training.--Each member of the board will be required to obtain 10 hours of mandatory training in investment strategies, actuarial cost analysis, asset allocation, risk assessment and retirement portfolio management on an annual basis.
(g) Committees.--
(1) In order to be appointed to the Audit/Compliance Committee as a voting member, a board member must complete at least 16 hours of training in risk assessments, internal controls and auditing standards within 90 days of appointment to the committee. The 16 hours of training are inclusive of the hours indicated for board training. The Committee on Sponsoring Organizations Enterprise risk management guidelines may be considered as a guide to the training. Individuals who are members of the Audit/Compliance Committee on the effective date of this paragraph shall be exempt from the initial 16-hour requirement. In order to continue serving as a voting member of the Audit/Compliance Committee following initial appointment, a board member must complete at least eight hours of continuing education in risk assessments, internal controls and auditing standards each calendar year thereafter.
(2) The board may establish an executive committee, which shall consist of the board chair, the board vice chair, if one has been appointed, the chair of the Audit/Compliance Committee, the chair of the Bylaws/Policy Committee, the chair of the Investment Committee and the chair of the Budget/Finance Committee or other members of the board as determined by the board.
(3) The board shall establish a function within the Investment Committee of an Asset Liability Contingency Operating capability, which shall be charged with evaluating the risk associated with the system's assets and liabilities.
(June 25, 1982, P.L.647, No.183, eff. 60 days; Oct. 21, 1988, P.L.844, No.112, eff. imd.; Aug. 5, 1991, P.L.183, No.23, eff. imd.; May 17, 2001, P.L.26, No.9, eff. imd.; June 12, 2017, P.L.11, No.5, eff. imd.; July 2, 2019, P.L.434, No.72, eff. 60 days; Nov. 25, 2020, P.L.1237, No.128, eff. 90 days)

2020 Amendment. Act 128 amended subsec. (f) and added subsec. (g). Section 7(3) of Act 128 provided that the amendment of subsec. (f) shall apply after December 31, 2021.
2019 Amendment. Act 72 amended subsec. (a). See section 6.2 of Act 72 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to severability.
2017 Amendment. Act 5 amended subsecs. (a), (c), (d) and (e) and added subsec. (f). See sections 409 and 416 of Act 5 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to authority of Governor's Office of General Counsel and appointment of Secretary of Banking and Securities.
2001 Amendment. Act 9 amended subsecs. (a) and (b).
Transfer of Functions. The powers and duties of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice contained in section 8501(e) were transferred to the Office of General Counsel by section 502 of the act of October 15, 1980 (P.L.950, No.164), known as the Commonwealth Attorneys Act, effective January 20, 1981.