ORS 238.670
Reserve accounts in fund
(1)
At the close of each calendar year in which the earnings on the Public Employees Retirement Fund equal or exceed the assumed interest rate established by the Public Employees Retirement Board under ORS 238.255 (Credits to regular accounts when earnings less than assumed interest rate), the board shall set aside, out of interest and other income received through investment of the Public Employees Retirement Fund during that calendar year, such part of the income as the board may deem advisable, not exceeding seven and one-half percent of the combined total of such income, which moneys so segregated shall remain in the fund and constitute therein a reserve account. The board shall continue to credit the reserve account in the manner required by this subsection until the board determines that the reserve account is adequately funded for the purposes specified in this subsection, but the board may not credit further amounts to the reserve account if the amounts in the reserve account exceed $50 million. Such reserve account shall be maintained and used by the board to prevent any deficit of moneys available for the payment of retirement allowances, due to interest fluctuations, changes in mortality rate or, except as provided in subsection (3) or (4) of this section, other contingency. In addition, the reserve account may be used by the board for the following purposes:(a)
To prevent any deficit in the fund by reason of the insolvency of a participating public employer. Reserves under this paragraph may be funded only from the earnings on employer contributions made under ORS 238.225 (Employer contributions).(b)
To pay any legal expenses or judgments that do not arise in the ordinary course of adjudicating an individual member’s benefits or an individual employer’s liabilities.(2)
At the close of each calendar year, the board shall set aside, out of interest and other income received during the calendar year, after deducting the amounts provided by law and to the extent that such income is available, a sufficient amount to credit to the reserves for pension accounts and annuities varying percentage amounts adopted by the board as a result of periodic actuarial investigations. If total income available for distribution exceeds those percentages of the total accumulated contributions of employees and employers, the reserves for pensions and annuities shall participate in such excess.(3)
The board may set aside, out of interest and other income received through investment of the fund, such part of the income as the board considers necessary, which moneys so segregated shall remain in the fund and constitute one or more reserve accounts. Such reserve accounts shall be maintained and used by the board to offset gains and losses of invested capital. The board, from time to time, may cause to be transferred from the reserve account provided for in subsection (1) of this section to a reserve account provided for in this subsection such amount as the board determines to be unnecessary for the purposes set forth in subsection (1) of this section and to be necessary for the purposes set forth in this subsection.(4)
The board may provide for amortizing gains and losses of invested capital in such instances as the board determines that amortization is preferable to a reserve account provided for in subsection (3) of this section. [Formerly 237.281; 2001 c.945 §5; 2017 c.746 §11; 2020 s.s.2 c.10 §14]
Source:
Section 238.670 — Reserve accounts in fund, https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors238.html.
(formerly 237.281)
Attorney General Opinions
Purpose of the Contingency Reserve, (1976) Vol 38, p 41; method to eliminate deficit, (1976) Vol 38, p 41
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