By Duncan                                              S.B. No. 983
         77R2316 SMJ-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the authority of the boards of trustees of certain
 1-3     state retirement systems to contract with professional investment
 1-4     managers.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1. Section 815.301, Government Code, is amended by
 1-7     amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsection (g) to read
 1-8     as follows:
 1-9           (b)  The board of trustees may delegate its authority under
1-10     Subsection (a)  to the executive director.  The board of trustees,
1-11     [or] the executive director, or an investment manager with whom the
1-12     board contracts under Subsection (c) may, under the standard of
1-13     care provided by Section 815.307, invest and reinvest any of the
1-14     retirement system's assets and may commingle assets of the trust
1-15     fund and the law enforcement and custodial officer supplemental
1-16     retirement fund with the assets of the Judicial Retirement System
1-17     of Texas Plan Two for investment purposes, as long as proportionate
1-18     ownership records are maintained and credited.  Investments may
1-19     include home office facilities, including land, equipment, and
1-20     office building, used in administering the retirement system.
1-21           (c)  The board of trustees may contract with private
1-22     professional investment managers to invest on behalf of the board
1-23     or assist the board in investing the assets of the retirement
1-24     system.
 2-1           (g)  In a contract entered into under Subsection (c) for
 2-2     investing system assets on behalf of the board of trustees, the
 2-3     board shall specify any policies, requirements, or restrictions,
 2-4     including criteria for determining the quality of investments and
 2-5     for the use of standard rating services, that the board adopts for
 2-6     investments of the system. The board at any time may, and at
 2-7     frequent intervals shall, monitor the investments made by the
 2-8     investment manager and may contract for professional evaluation
 2-9     services to fulfill this requirement.
2-10           SECTION 2. Section 825.301, Government Code, is amended by
2-11     amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (f) to read as
2-12     follows:
2-13           (b)  The board of trustees may contract with private
2-14     professional investment managers to invest on behalf of the board
2-15     or assist the board in investing the assets of the retirement
2-16     system.
2-17           (f)  In a contract entered into under Subsection (c) for
2-18     investing system assets on behalf of the board of trustees, the
2-19     board shall specify any policies, requirements, or restrictions,
2-20     including criteria for determining the quality of investments and
2-21     for the use of standard rating services, that the board adopts for
2-22     investments of the system. The board at any time may, and at
2-23     frequent intervals shall, monitor the investments made by the
2-24     investment manager and may contract for professional evaluation
2-25     services to fulfill this requirement.
2-26           SECTION 3.  Section 840.301, Government Code, is amended by
2-27     adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
 3-1           (d)  The board of trustees may contract with private
 3-2     professional investment managers for the purposes and in the manner
 3-3     provided by Section 815.301 for the investment of assets under
 3-4     Chapter 815.
 3-5           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
 3-6     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
 3-7     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
 3-8     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
 3-9     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.