AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 11 AND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE BOARD OF PENSION TRUSTEES AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF PENSION PLANS.

The Board of Pension Trustees has established policies and practices for the administration of the Delaware Public Employees Retirement System. House Bill 199 of the 149th General Assembly provided the initial changes to Delaware Code based on the recommendations of the Board’s Best Practices review. This Act provides additional changes to the Delaware Code based on the review. The changes are summarized as follows: Sections 1, 2, & 3 – Changes to the New State Police Plan to include determining normal retirement date for the review of a disability continuance case, deleting references to the medical committee which has been dissolved by the Board, and giving the authority by the Board to the Executive Secretary for benefit determinations. Sections 4, 5, & 6 – Changes to the County/Municipal Police/Firefighter Pension Plans to include determining normal retirement date for the review of a disability continuance case, deleting references to the medical committee which has been dissolved by the Board, and giving the authority by the Board to the Executive Secretary for benefit determinations. Section 7 – Technical change for the Judicial Pension Plan. Section 8 – Technical changes regarding the closed Diamond State Port pension plan; allows for comingling for accounting purposes only of the OPEB trust with the DPERS Fund; clarifies Memoranda of Understanding with other state agencies; gives sole authority to the Board of Pension Trustees to hire an external audit firm; clarifies that the Board chair must be appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate; clarifies that all records of the Board’s Audit Department are not public records under the State's FOIA laws.