S-2907               _______________________________________________

                                    SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 119

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Senators Talmadge, Newhouse, Halsan and Thompson

Read first time 4/27/85 and referred to Committee on

WHEREAS, The Judicial Retirement System under chapter 2.10 RCW was originally enacted in 1971 and the benefit structure, contribution rates, and funding have not been comprehensively reviewed by the legislature since the date of its enactment; and

          WHEREAS, The Judicial Retirement System is the only state retirement system that is funded on a nonactuarial basis; and

          WHEREAS, The Judicial Retirement System presently has an unfunded liability of over thirty-two million dollars which will increase substantially as a greater number of judges reach retirement age; and

          WHEREAS, Members of the Judicial Retirement System receive retirement benefits which are significantly greater than the retirement benefits received by members of other state retirement systems; and

          WHEREAS, A fair and equitable retirement system is an inducement for the most competent attorneys to become judges;

          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the Senate of the state of Washington, the House of Representatives concurring, That a Joint Committee on the Judicial Retirement System be established to review and analyze the benefit structure, contribution rates, and actuarial funding of the Judicial Retirement System under chapter 2.10 RCW; and

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the committee shall consist of:

          (1) A member of each of the two largest caucuses of the Senate and a member of the public, as appointed by the President of the Senate;

          (2) A member of each of the two largest caucuses of the House of Representatives and a member of the public, as appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

          (3) The director of retirement systems and the state actuary, or their designees, to serve as ex officio, nonvoting members;

          (4) The chief justice of the supreme court, or the chief justice's designee; and

          (5) The following persons appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court:

          (a) One person appointed from a list of five judges nominated by the association of superior court judges;

          (b) One person appointed from a list of three magistrates nominated by the Washington state magistrates' association;

          (c) One appellate court judge; and

          (d) One person appointed from a list of three attorneys nominated by the board of governors of the state bar association; and

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the committee shall report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature by January 1, 1986.