Section 87040.5 Of Article 2. Rights And Duties From California Education Code >> Division 7. >> Title 3. >> Part 51. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 2.
87040.5
. (a) For purposes of this section, the following
definitions shall apply:
(1) "Annuity contract" means an annuity contract described in
Section 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code that is available to
employees as described in Section 770.3 of the Insurance Code.
(2) "Custodial account" means a custodial account described in
Section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code.
(3) "Deferred compensation plan" means a plan described in Section
457 of the Internal Revenue Code.
(4) "Third-party administrator" means a person or entity that
provides administrative or compliance services to a community college
district as described in subdivision (b).
(b) A community college district may enter into a written contract
with a third-party administrator for services regarding an annuity
contract and custodial account or a deferred compensation plan
provided by the community college district. That contract may include
any of the following:
(1) Services to ensure compliance with either Section 403(b) of
the Internal Revenue Code regarding the annuity contract and
custodial account or Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code
regarding a deferred compensation plan, including, but not limited
to, any of the following:
(A) Administer and maintain written plan documents governing the
community college district's plan.
(B) Review and authorize hardship withdrawal requests under
Section 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code, transfer requests, loan
requests, unforeseeable emergency withdrawals under Section 457 of
the Internal Revenue Code and other disbursements permitted under
either Section 403(b) or 457 of the Internal Revenue Code.
(C) Review and determine domestic relations orders as qualified
domestic relations orders as described in Section 414(p) of the
Internal Revenue Code.
(D) Provide notice to eligible employees that is consistent with
Title 26 of the Code of Federal Regulations that those employees may
participate in an annuity contract and custodial account.
(E) Administer and maintain specimen salary reduction agreements
for the community college district and employees of that community
college district to initiate payroll deferrals.
(F) Monitor, from information provided either directly from the
employee, as part of the common remitting services provided pursuant
to paragraph (2), through information provided by the community
college district, or through information provided by vendors
authorized by the community college district to provide investment
products, the maximum contributions allowed by employees
participating in either the annuity contract and custodial account as
described in Sections 402(g), 414(v), and 415 of the Internal
Revenue Code or the deferred compensation plan as described in
Section 414(v) or 457 of the Internal Revenue Code.
(G) Calculate and maintain vesting information for contributions
made by the community college district to the annuity contract and
custodial account or deferred compensation plan.
(H) Identify and notify employees that are required to take a
minimum distribution of the funds in that employee's annuity contract
and custodial account or deferred compensation plan as described in
Section 401(a)(9) of the Internal Revenue Code.
(I) Coordinate responses to the Internal Revenue Service if there
is an Internal Revenue Service audit of the annuity contract and
custodial account or deferred compensation plan.
(2) Services to administer the annuity contract and custodial
account or a deferred compensation plan that includes, but is not
limited to, all of the following:
(A) Common remitting services.
(B) General educational information to employees about the annuity
contract and custodial account or the deferred compensation plan
that includes, but is not limited to, the enrollment process, program
eligibility, and investment options.
(C) Internal reports for the community college district to ensure
compliance with either Section 403(b) or 457 of the Internal Revenue
Code and compliance with Title 26 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(D) Consulting services related to the design, operation, and
administration of the plan.
(E) Internal audits, on behalf of a community college district, of
a provider's plan compliance procedures with respect to the provider'
s annuity contract or custodial account offered under the community
college district's plan. These audits shall not be conducted more
than once per year for any provider's plan unless documented evidence
indicates a problem in complying with either Section 403(b) or 457
of the Internal Revenue Code.
(c) (1) If a community college district elects to contract with a
third-party administrator for the administrative or compliance
services to community college districts described in subdivision (b),
the community college district shall do all of the following:
(A) Require the third-party administrator to provide proof of
liability insurance and a fidelity bond in an amount determined by
the community college district to be sufficient to protect the assets
of participants and beneficiaries in the annuity contract and
custodial account or deferred compensation plan.
(B) Require the third-party administrator to provide evidence of a
safe chain-of-custody of assets process for ensuring fulfillment of
fiduciary responsibilities and timely placement of participant
investments.
(C) Require evidence, if the third-party administrator is related
to or affiliated with a provider of investment products pursuant to
Section 403(b) or 457 of the Internal Revenue Code, that data
generated from the services provided by the third-party administrator
are maintained in a manner that prevents the provider of investment
products from accessing that data unless access to the data is
required to provide the services in accordance with the contract
entered into with the community college district pursuant to
subdivision (b).
(2) This subdivision shall apply to any administrative or
compliance services provided pursuant to a contract for services
between a community college district and the State Teachers'
Retirement System if the system does not contract with a third-party
administrator to provide those administrative and compliance services
on behalf of the system.
(d) A third-party administrator shall disclose to any community
college district seeking his or her services any fees, commissions,
cost offsets, reimbursements, or marketing or promotional items
received by the administrator, a related entity, or a representative
or agent of the administrator or related entity from any plan
provider selected as a vendor of an annuity contract, custodial
account, or deferred compensation plan by the community college
district. A third-party administrator that is affiliated with or has
a contractual relationship with a provider of annuity contracts,
custodial accounts, or deferred compensation plans shall disclose the
existence of the relationship to each community college district and
each individual participant in the annuity contract, custodial
account or deferred compensation plan.
(e) Any personal information obtained by the third-party
administrator in providing services pursuant to this section shall be
used by the third-party administrator only to provide those services
for the community college district in accordance with the contract
entered into with the community college district pursuant to
subdivision (b).
(f) Nothing in this section shall be construed to interfere with
either of the following:
(1) The rights of employees or beneficiaries as described in
Section 770.3 of the Insurance Code.
(2) The ability of the community college district to establish
nonarbitrary requirements upon providers of an annuity contract that,
in the community college district's discretion, aid in the
administration of its benefit programs and do not unreasonably
discriminate against any provider of an annuity contract or interfere
with the rights of employees or beneficiaries as described in
Section 770.3 of the Insurance Code.
(g) This section shall not apply to any services provided by a
third-party administrator pursuant to a contract for services between
a community college district and the State Teachers' Retirement
System. Any services provided by a third-party administrator pursuant
to a contract for services between a community college district and
the State Teachers' Retirement System shall be subject to either
Section 24953, in the case of an annuity contract or custodial
account, or Section 24977, in the case of a deferred compensation
plan.