reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
SC Code § 9-16-100 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 16 - Retirement System Funds|Section 9-16-100. Restrictions on lobbyists.

 (A) A lobbyist, as defined in Section 2-17-10(13), may not contact any member of the commission, the chief executive officer, chief investment officer, or staff member of the commission to solicit the investment of funds with a particular entity regardless of whether the lobbyist represents that entity.  (B) The commission may not make an investment with or invest in a fund managed by an external investment manager if a placement agent receives compensation as a result of the commission's investment. For purposes of this subsection, "placement agent" means an individual directly or indirectly hired, engaged, or retained by, or serving for the benefit of or on behalf of, an external manager or an investment fund managed by an external manager, and who acts or has acted for compensation as a finder, solicitor, marketer, consultant, broker, or other intermediary in connection with making an investment with or investing in a fund managed by the external investment manager.  (C) The commission may not invest in any asset or with any entity in which a commissioner or his immediate family has any interest. This subsection does not apply to publicly traded securities.  HISTORY: 2017 Act No. 13 (H.3726), Pt. III, Section 13, eff July 1, 2017.
SC Code § 9-16-320 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 16 - Retirement System Funds|Section 9-16-320. Adoption of annual investment plan; quarterly review; deliberations in executive session; independent advisors.

 (A) The commission shall meet no later than May first of each year to adopt the proposed annual investment plan for the retirement systems for the next fiscal year. The annual investment plan must be developed by the chief investment officer. No later than April first of each year, the chief investment officer shall submit the proposed plan to the commission. Amendments may be made to the plan by the commission during the fiscal year.  (B) The commission shall meet at least once during each fiscal-year quarter for the purposes of reviewing the performance of investments, assessing compliance with the annual investment plan, and determining whether to amend the plan. The commission shall meet at such other times as are set by the commission or the chairman or requested by the board.  (C) The commission may discuss, deliberate on, and make decisions on a portion of the annual investment plan or other related financial or investment matters in executive session if disclosure thereof would jeopardize the ability to implement that portion of the plan or achieve investment objectives.  (D) A record of the commission that discloses discussions, deliberations, or decisions on portions of the annual investment plan or other related financial or investment matters is not a public record under Section 30-4-20 to the extent and so long as its disclosure would jeopardize the ability to implement that portion of the plan or achieve investment objectives.  (E) [Reserved]  (F) [Reserved]  (G) The commission may retain independent advisors to assist it and periodically shall provide for an outside evaluation of the investment strategy.  HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 371, Section 2, eff May 26, 1998; 2005 Act No. 153, Pt IV, Section 3, eff July 1, 2005.
SC Code § 9-16-335 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 16 - Retirement System Funds|Section 9-16-335. Assumed annual rate of return.

 (A) For all purposes of this title, the assumed annual rate of return on the investments of the Retirement System must be established by the General Assembly pursuant to this section. Effective July 1, 2017, the assumed annual rate of return on retirement system investments is seven and one quarter percent.  (B) The assumed rate of return set in subsection (A) expires on July 1, 2021. A new annual rate of return must be set and made effective no later than July 1, 2021, and, every four years after, a new annual rate must be set and made effective. Before January first of each year that the assumed rate of return is due to expire, the board shall submit a proposed assumed annual rate of return for the corresponding four-year period. The proposed assumed annual rate of return must be developed based on the recommendations of the board's actuary and in consultation with the commission, and must be submitted to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. If the General Assembly does not enact a joint resolution that continues or amends the assumed annual rate of return before expiration, the assumed annual rate of return developed and submitted by the board takes effect for the corresponding four-year period until subsequent action of the General Assembly.  HISTORY: 2012 Act No. 278, Pt V, Section 68, eff July 1, 2012; 2017 Act No. 13 (H.3726), Pt. I, Section 3, eff July 1, 2017.
SC Code § 9-16-340 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 16 - Retirement System Funds|Section 9-16-340. Investment of retirement systems assets; annual investment plan; adoption and review.

 (A) The commission, acting through the chief investment officer, shall invest and reinvest the assets of the retirement systems as provided in Section 9-1-1310. The commission may employ or retain administrators, agents, consultants, or other advisors it considers necessary with respect to making investments. The chief investment officer may use the services of the State Treasurer in making nonequity security investments as the chief investment officer determines appropriate.  (B) After receiving the proposed plan of the chief investment officer, the commission shall adopt an annual investment plan, which must be implemented by the commission through the chief investment officer. The commission shall regularly review the plan implementation and make amendments as it considers appropriate. The plan must include the minimum and maximum portions of system assets that may be allocated to equity investments on an ongoing basis not to exceed seventy percent.  HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 371, Section 2, eff May 26, 1998; 2005 Act No. 153, Pt. IV Section 3 [Subsection (A) eff July 1, 2005; subsection (B) eff June 10, 2005].
SC Code § 9-16-345 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 16 - Retirement System Funds|Section 9-16-345. Minority and minority-owned business representation.

 In hiring and procurement in the implementation and administration of this chapter, and consistent with its duties as fiduciary under this title, the commission shall strive to assure that minorities and minority-owned businesses are represented.  HISTORY: 2005 Act No. 153, Pt IV, Section 3, eff July 1, 2005.
SC Code § 9-16-350 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 16 - Retirement System Funds|Section 9-16-350. Use of information for self-interest; blind trusts; violations; punishment; provisions cumulative with other laws.

 (A) It is unlawful for a member, employee, or agent of the commission or anyone acting on its behalf to use any information concerning commission activities to obtain any economic interest for himself, a member of his immediate family, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated.  (B) If a member of the commission, an employee of the commission, or a member of his immediate family holds an economic interest in a blind trust, he is not considered to have violated the provisions of subsection (A) even if the acquisition of the economic interest by the blind trust would otherwise violate the provisions of subsection (A), if the existence of the blind trust and the manner of its control is disclosed to the State Ethics Commission and the commission.  (C) A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned for not more than ten years and fined not more than one hundred thousand dollars.  (D) The provisions of this section are cumulative to, and not in lieu of, any other provisions of law applicable to the commission and its members in the performance of official duties including, but not limited to, Chapter 13 of Title 8.  HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 371, Section 2, eff May 26, 1998; 2005 Act No. 153, Pt IV, Section 3, eff July 1, 2005.
SC Code § 9-16-370 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 16 - Retirement System Funds|Section 9-16-370. Defense and indemnification of Retirement System Investment Commission members, officers, and management employees.

 The State shall defend the members of the Retirement System Investment Commission established pursuant to this article against a claim or suit that arises out of or by virtue of their performance of official duties on behalf of the commission and must indemnify these members for a loss or judgment incurred by them as a result of the claim or suit, without regard to whether the claim or suit is brought against them in their individual or official capacities, or both. The State shall defend officers and management employees of the commission against a claim or suit that arises out of or by virtue of performance of official duties unless the officer, or management employee was acting in bad faith and must indemnify these officers, and management employees for a loss or judgment incurred by them as a result of such claim or suit, without regard to whether the claim or suit is brought against them in their individual or official capacities, or both. This commitment to defend and indemnify extends to members, officers, and management employees after they have left their membership on or employment with the commission, as applicable, if the claim or suit arises out of or by virtue of their performance of official duties on behalf of the commission.  HISTORY: 2006 Act No. 264, Section 1, eff May 2, 2006.
SC Code § 9-16-380 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 16 - Retirement System Funds|Section 9-16-380. Audit of Retirement System Investment Commission.

 Every four years the State Auditor shall employ a private audit firm to perform a fiduciary audit on the Retirement System Investment Commission. The audit firm must be selected by the State Auditor. A report from the private audit firm must be completed by January 15, 2019, and every four years after that time. Upon completion, the report must be submitted to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.  HISTORY: 2012 Act No. 278, Pt IV, Subpt 3, Section 64.B, eff July 1, 2012; 2017 Act No. 13 (H.3726), Pt. III, Section 12, eff July 1, 2017; 2019 Act No. 1 (S.2), Section 40, eff January 31, 2019.  Effect of Amendment  2019 Act No. 1, Section 40, in the fourth sentence, substituted "President of the Senate" for "President Pro Tempore of the Senate".
SC Code § 9-16-710 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 16 - Retirement System Funds|Section 9-16-710. Investment education services.

 Notwithstanding an employee's right to obtain educational and administrative services from independent companies or vendors, or both, that offer products in the state's retirement plans, the South Carolina Retirement Systems may provide unbiased investment education services including, but not limited to, instructional videos identifying plan types, plan provisions, and plan differences to any participant in any of the state's retirement plans.  HISTORY: 2002 Act No. 287, Section 1, eff July 1, 2002.
SC Code § 9-18-10 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 18 - Qualified Domestic Relations Orders|Section 9-18-10. Definitions.

 As used in this chapter:  (1) "Administrator" means the director of the retirement systems.  (2) "Alternate payee" means a spouse or former spouse of a member or retired member who is recognized by a domestic relations order as having a right to receive all or a portion of the benefits payable by a retirement system with respect to such member or retired member.  (3) "Board" means the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority.  (4) "Death benefit" means any benefit payable upon the death of a member under Sections 9-1-1650, 9-1-1660, 9-8-110(1), (3), or (4), 9-9-100(1), (2), or (3), 9-11-110, or 9-11-130. The term 'death benefit' does not include any optional form death benefit or any benefit payable under life insurance maintained by a retirement system, by this State or any of its agencies, or by a political subdivision of this State.  (5) "Disability benefit" means any benefit payable to a member or retired member on account of his disability under Sections 9-1-1540, 9-8-60, 9-9-65, or 9-11-80.  (6) "Domestic relations order" means any judgement, decree, or order, including approval of a property settlement agreement, which relates to the provision of alimony payments or marital property rights to a spouse or former spouse of a member or retired member, and is made pursuant to a domestic relations law, including a law of this State or of another state.  (7) "Member" means any person included in the membership of the retirement system.  (8) "Optional form death benefit" means any periodic benefit payable upon the death of a member or retired member on account of the member's selection of an optional form of allowance under Sections 9-1-1620, 9-8-70, 9-9-70, or 9-11-150.  (9) "Qualified domestic relations order" means a domestic relations order which creates or recognizes the existence of an alternate payee's right, or assigns to an alternate payee the right, to receive all or a portion of a benefit payable with respect to a member or retired member under a retirement system, which directs that retirement system to disburse benefits to the alternate payee, and which meets the requirements of this chapter.  (10) "Retirement benefit" means any benefit payable to a retired member and which is based on the member's age, service, pay, or accumulated contributions. "Retirement benefit" does not include any optional form death benefit.  (11) "Retirement System" or "system" means the South Carolina Retirement System, Retirement System for Judges and Solicitors of the State of South Carolina, Retirement System for Members of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina, or South Carolina Police Officers Retirement System.  HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 38, Section 1, eff July 1, 1995 (became law without the Governor's signature on April 27, 1995); 2012 Act No. 278, Pt IV, Subpt 2, Section 58, eff July 1, 2012.
SC Code § 9-18-40 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 18 - Qualified Domestic Relations Orders|Section 9-18-40. Authorization of board to prescribe rules and promulgate regulations.

 The board, as the governing body of the retirement system, may prescribe rules and promulgate regulations as it considers necessary to implement the provisions of this chapter.  HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 38, Section 1, eff July 1, 1995 (became law without the Governor's signature on April 27, 1995).
SC Code § 9-18-50 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 18 - Qualified Domestic Relations Orders|Section 9-18-50. Death of alternate payee; effect.

 The death of the alternate payee terminates any interest the alternate payee has in any retirement system and which is on account of a qualified domestic relations order. Upon proof of death of the alternate payee, the member, retired member, or beneficiary is entitled to receive the full amount of benefits payable in the future to the member, retired member, or beneficiary without reduction for the amount previously paid to the alternate payee.  HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 38, Section 1, eff July 1, 1995 (became law without the Governor's signature on April 27, 1995).
SC Code § 9-18-60 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 18 - Qualified Domestic Relations Orders|Section 9-18-60. Maintenance by alternate payee of current residence address on file with retirement system; payment of benefits by system when alternate payee cannot be located.

 (A) An alternate payee is responsible for maintaining a current residence address on file with the retirement system. The retirement system has no duty to locate any alternate payee other than by sending written notice to the last known address on file with the system.  (B) If the retirement system cannot locate an alternate payee when a benefit becomes payable, the retirement system shall hold the amount payable to the alternate payee and make payment without interest to the alternate payee if the payee is located within the following one hundred eighty days. If the alternate payee is not located within one hundred eighty days from the date the benefit became payable, the retirement system shall pay the amount held to the person who would have received the payment but for the qualified domestic relations order. If the alternate payee is subsequently located, the retirement system shall pay subsequent benefits in accordance with the qualified domestic relations order but the alternate payee's interest in any amount already paid is extinguished.  HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 38, Section 1, eff July 1, 1995 (became law without the Governor's signature on April 27, 1995).
SC Code § 9-18-70 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 18 - Qualified Domestic Relations Orders|Section 9-18-70. Right of retirement system to recoup mistaken payment.

 If the retirement system determines that it has mistakenly paid amounts to an alternate payee or other person, it may recoup the mistaken payment by deducting the amount from future payments to be made to the alternate payee or the other person.  HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 38, Section 1, eff July 1, 1995 (became law without the Governor's signature on April 27, 1995).
SC Code § 9-18-80 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 18 - Qualified Domestic Relations Orders|Section 9-18-80. Termination of membership in retirement system; effect on qualified domestic relations order.

 If a member terminates membership in a retirement system by withdrawal of contributions, the retirement system shall pay all or a portion of the amount withdrawn to any alternate payee as directed by a qualified domestic relations order. Any qualified domestic relations order previously accepted with respect to the member's benefits under that system is thereafter void. If the former member later resumes membership in the retirement system, no portion of any benefits subsequently payable on account of the member must be paid to the alternate payee, even if those benefits result in part from reinstatement of service credit initially credited during the marriage, unless the retirement system receives a qualified domestic relations order specifically requiring it to make the payments to the alternate payee.  HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 38, Section 1, eff July 1, 1995 (became law without the Governor's signature on April 27, 1995).
SC Code § 9-18-90 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 18 - Qualified Domestic Relations Orders|Section 9-18-90. Reinstatement of service credit; deposit of entire amount withdrawn or refunded required.

 A member who is reinstating service credit under a retirement system by depositing amounts previously withdrawn or refunded shall deposit the entire amount withdrawn or refunded, regardless of whether a portion or all of the amount was paid to an alternate payee.  HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 38, Section 1, eff July 1, 1995 (became law without the Governor's signature on April 27, 1995).
SC Code § 9-18-100 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 18 - Qualified Domestic Relations Orders|Section 9-18-100. Administration of domestic relations order accepted by retirement system prior to effective date of chapter.

 A domestic relations order accepted by the retirement system before July 1, 1995, must be administered by the retirement system in accordance with the provisions of the order and must not be rereviewed by the system for compliance with Section 9-18-20 unless the system is requested to do so by the court having jurisdiction over the matter. The retirement system, however, in its sole discretion, may require that any amendment of an accepted order that is received after June 30, 1995 meet the requirements of Section 9-18-20. For purposes of this section, an order is an "accepted order" only if the retirement system provided before July 1, 1995, written notice of its acceptance of the order to the member or retired member, and the alternate payee.  HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 38, Section 1, eff July 1, 1995 (became law without the Governor's signature on April 27, 1995).
SC Code § 9-20-10 (2021)
2021 South Carolina Code of Laws|Title 9 - Retirement Systems|Chapter 20 - State Optional Retirement Program|Section 9-20-10. Definitions.

 As used in this chapter:  (1) "Employer" means:  (a) a school district that receives funding from the State from the annual appropriation to the Department of Education for Aid to School Districts-Employer Contributions in the annual general appropriations act;  (b) a four-year and postgraduate institution of higher education supported and under the control of the State;  (c) a technical college supported and under the control of the State;  (d) the State or any of its departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions, and institutions, provided that such entity does not meet the definition of item (1)(a), (b), or (c) of this section.  (2) "Eligible employee" means:  (a) a person hired on or after July 1, 2001, by an employer as defined in Section 9-20-10(1)(a) to fill a permanent full-time position;  (b) a person hired on or after July 1, 2002, by an employer as defined in Section 9-20-10(1)(b), (c), or (d) to fill a permanent full-time position;  (c) a person hired on or after July 1, 2003, by an employer as defined in Section 9-20-10(1) to fill a temporary position or a part-time permanent position;  (d) a person employed by an employer as defined in Section 9-20-10(1) who, as of June 30, 2001, was a participant of the Optional Retirement Program for Teachers and School Administrators or who, as of June 30, 2002, was a participant of the Optional Retirement Program for Publicly Supported Four-Year and Postgraduate Institutions of Higher Education; or  (e) an employee, hired on or after January 1, 2003, by the State or any of its departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions, or institutions who is not covered by the State Employee Grievance Procedure but who is eligible to participate in either the South Carolina Retirement System or the Police Officers Retirement System.  However, an employee who exercises an option to not participate in the South Carolina Retirement System under Section 9-1-550 is not eligible to participate in the State Optional Retirement Program.  (3) "Participant" means an eligible employee who participates in the optional retirement program provided by this chapter.  (4) "Open enrollment period" means the period from January first to March first of each year.  HISTORY: 2000 Act No. 268, Section 1, eff July 1, 2000; 2001 Act No. 54, Section 2, eff July 1, 2001; 2003 Act No. 77, Section 6, eff June 27, 2003.