Power and Duty of Board of Trustees to Administer and Operate Retirement System; Membership of Board; Vacancies; Expenses; Oath; Quorum

  1. Law
  2. Georgia Code
  3. Retirement and Pensions
  4. Employees' Retirement System of Georgia
  5. Creation, Administration, and Management of the Assets of the Retirement System
  6. Power and Duty of Board of Trustees to Administer and Operate Retirement System; Membership of Board; Vacancies; Expenses; Oath; Quorum

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  1. The administration and responsibility for the proper operation of the retirement system and for effectuating this chapter are vested in the board of trustees, which shall be organized immediately after a majority of the trustees have qualified and taken the oath of office.
  2. The board of trustees shall consist of seven trustees as follows:
    1. The state auditor, ex officio;
    2. The state treasurer, ex officio;
    3. The commissioner of administrative services, ex officio;
    4. One member appointed by the Governor for a term of four years, provided that the first such term was from date of appointment to June 30, 1951;
    5. Two trustees elected by the trustees set forth in paragraphs (1) through (4) of this subsection for a term of four years, provided that in their first terms one served for a term from the date of election to June 30, 1950, and the other for a term from the date of election to June 30, 1952; provided, further, that each of these two members shall have had at least five years of creditable service with an agency included in this retirement system; and
    6. The seventh trustee shall be a citizen of this state but not a member of the retirement system nor shall he or she hold or be a candidate for public office during his or her term of office as a trustee. He or she shall have had at least ten years of experience in the investment of moneys and shall be elected by the remaining trustees for a term of four years, provided that his or her first term was from the date of election to June 30, 1953.
  3. If a vacancy occurs in the office of a trustee, the vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment or election.
  4. The trustees may receive the daily expense allowance authorized for members of the General Assembly for each day spent attending meetings of the board of trustees and any committee meetings called pursuant to authorization of the board of trustees and for time spent in necessary travel. In addition to such amount, the trustees shall be reimbursed for all actual travel and other expenses necessarily incurred through service on the board of trustees. State officials serving ex officio shall not receive the daily expense allowance but shall be entitled to reimbursement of actual expenses.
  5. Each trustee shall, within ten days after his or her appointment or election, take an oath of office that he or she will diligently and honestly administer the affairs of the board of trustees which have been entrusted to him or her and that he or she will not knowingly violate or willingly permit to be violated any law applicable to the retirement system. The oath shall be subscribed to by the trustee, certified by the officer before whom it is taken, and filed immediately in the office of the Secretary of State.
  6. Five trustees at any meeting of the board of trustees shall constitute a quorum to transact business. Each trustee shall be entitled to one vote and four votes shall be necessary for a decision by the board of trustees.

(Ga. L. 1949, p. 138, § 6; Ga. L. 1951, p. 394, § 9; Ga. L. 1982, p. 3, § 47; Ga. L. 1991, p. 274, § 1; Ga. L. 1993, p. 1402, § 18; Ga. L. 1993, p. 1690, § 2; Ga. L. 2010, p. 863, § 3/SB 296; Ga. L. 2012, p. 413, § 4/HB 805.)

The 2010 amendment, effective July 1, 2010, substituted "state treasurer" for "director of the Office of Treasury and Fiscal Services" in paragraph (b)(2).

The 2012 amendment, effective July 1, 2012, substituted "commissioner of administrative services" for "commissioner of personnel administration" in paragraph (b)(3); and inserted "or she" and "or her" throughout paragraph (b)(6) and subsection (e).

Editor's notes.

- Ga. L. 2012, p. 413, § 1/HB 805, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: "The purpose of this Act is to make conforming amendments and correct references in Title 47 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to retirement and pensions, relative to the abolition of the State Personnel Administration and the transfer of certain functions of such agency to the Department of Administrative Services as provided by a separate Act." The separate Act referred to is Ga. L. 2012, p. 446/HB 642, which became effective July 1, 2012, and which provides for the abolition of the State Personnel Administration and the transfer of functions.

Ga. L. 2012, p. 413, § 13/HB 805, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: "This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2012, only if an Act abolishing the State Personnel Administration and providing for the transfer of certain functions of such agency to the Department of Administrative Services is enacted and becomes effective on that same date; otherwise, this Act shall not become effective and shall stand repealed on July 1, 2012." Ga. L. 2012, p. 446/HB 642, effective July 1, 2012, provides for the abolition of the State Personnel Administration and the transfer of functions.

JUDICIAL DECISIONS

Board finding not reviewable by certiorari.

- Since it does not exercise judicial powers, certiorari does not lie to review a finding of the board. Cantrell v. Board of Trustees of Employees' Retirement Sys., 135 Ga. App. 445, 218 S.E.2d 97 (1975), aff'd, 237 Ga. 287, 227 S.E.2d 379 (1976).

Neither O.C.G.A. § 47-2-120(a) nor O.C.G.A. § 47-2-110(a) provides a formula for the calculation of service retirement benefits; the authority to do so rests with the Board of Trustees of the Employees Retirement System of the State of Georgia (ERS) under the general grant of authority in O.C.G.A. § 47-2-21 to effectuate the provisions of the ERS Act, O.C.G.A. § 47-2-1 et seq., including the specific grants of authority found in O.C.G.A. §§ 47-2-26(a) and47-2-28(a) and (b). Alverson v. Employees' Ret. Sys., 272 Ga. App. 389, 613 S.E.2d 119 (2005).

Cited in Ross v. Odom, 401 F.2d 464 (5th Cir. 1968); Teachers Retirement Sys. v. City of Atlanta, 249 Ga. 196, 288 S.E.2d 200 (1982).

RESEARCH REFERENCES

Am. Jur. 2d.

- 60A Am. Jur. 2d, Pensions and Retirement Funds, § 1253 et seq.

C.J.S.

- 67 C.J.S., Officers and Public Employees, § 313. 70 C.J.S., Pensions, §§ 10, 12 et seq., 15. 81A C.J.S., States, § 213 et seq.


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