Senator Nell Soto (D – Pomona), chair of the Public Employment & Retirement Committee, reports that the committee passed a number of important bills today, among them:

• AB 276, by Assemblyman Joe Baca Jr. (D – Rialto), to increase the number of days that a state employee who is serving in the California National Guard, or a U.S. Military reserve organization, can receive state pay differential benefits for time absent for military duty;

• AB 310, by Assemblyman Tom Umberg (D – Santa Ana), to impose various fees and requirements on persons performing investment or management services in connection with a mandatory defined contribution plan or other mandatory retirement plan  established for state and local employees, including requirements regarding minimum rates of return on assets, limits on management and service fees, and liability insurance;

• AB 1044, by Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian (R – Stockton), to provide that any elected public officer, who first takes the office or is reelected to office on or after January 1, 2006, shall forfeit any retirement benefits that accrue during his or her term of office if he or she is convicted of felonies arising out of his or her official duties, unless the governing body grants clemency with respect to the benefits;

• AB 1643, by Assemblyman Dave Jones (D – Sacramento), to establish a pilot program for disabled state employees who are currently ineligible to enroll in the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), in order to test the concept of guaranteed coverage for a limited and well-defined group of persons with disabilities and to gather data on the impact on the program.