Monday, November 9, 2009

State Retirement Plan Administrators Reaffirm Strong Opposition To Pay-To-Play

In response to heightened media attention to isolated but high profile cases of so-called “pay-to-play” in the public sector, the Executive Committee of the National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA) unanimously voted at its fall meeting to reaffirm the Association’s long-held resolutions promoting ethics policies and disclosure requirements for those entrusted with the investment and management of public pension funds.

“In light of the publicity surrounding recent disclosures and allegations of unethical or illegal activity, the Executive Committee wishes to restate and reaffirm the Association’s long-standing belief that public plan fiduciaries should be held to the highest ethical standards,” said Eric Stanchfield, NASRA President and Executive Director of the District of Columbia Retirement Board.

“We encourage all public retirement systems to exercise due diligence and vigorously enforce disclosure requirements and ethics policies that demand unassailable fiduciary conduct by system staff, trustees and service providers, including undivided loyalty to the fund, open and honest decision-making processes, and interests that are aligned solely with the plan,” he said.

NASRA members are the directors of the nation’s State, territorial, and largest statewide public retirement systems. Together, these systems hold more than $2 trillion in assets and provide pension and other benefits to more than two-thirds of all state and local government employees.

No comments: