Bill > SB5834

This bill amends existing law to clarify that the director of the retirement systems can pay for certain expenses from the earnings of various state retirement system trust funds, which are pools of money set aside to pay retirement benefits. Specifically, the bill allows these earnings to cover legal and medical expenses that are primarily incurred to protect the trust funds or comply with laws governing them. It defines "legal expense" to include services like legal representation, expert witnesses, court reporters, and document reproduction, and "medical expense" to cover costs related to medical examinations, reports, and professional fees for attendance at proceedings. Furthermore, the bill expands the types of expenses that can be paid from these earnings to include those related to preventing and investigating fraud, as well as collecting overpayments, with fraud prevention now explicitly encompassing activities like audits, cybersecurity, and liaison work with the Attorney General's office to safeguard the trust funds from risks and potential losses. Any funds recovered through these efforts must be returned to the appropriate trust funds.

Budget and Finance

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5834&Year=2025&Initiative=false