The Legislature hereby finds and declares that on July 1, 1996, the State Teachers’ Retirement System Cash Balance Plan was created and established to provide a retirement plan for persons employed by an employer offering the Cash Balance Plan, excluding community college districts, to perform creditable service for less than 50 percent of the full-time equivalent for the position or employed by a community college district offering the Cash Balance Plan to perform creditable service on a temporary basis pursuant to Section 87474, 87478, 87480, 87481, 87482, or 87482.5, or employed by an employer offering the Cash Balance Plan to perform creditable service as a substitute employee. The persons eligible for the Cash Balance Plan were excluded from mandatory membership in the State Teachers’ Retirement System Defined Benefit Plan. Both plans are administered by the Teachers’ Retirement Board. Prior to the creation and establishment of the Cash Balance Plan, the State Teachers’ Retirement System Defined Benefit Plan had been identified simply as the State Teachers’ Retirement System. As a result, the system was identified as both the administrative body and the retirement plan. The State Teachers’ Retirement Law was amended to identify the retirement plan as the State Teachers’ Retirement System Defined Benefit Plan in order to distinguish that plan from the Cash Balance Plan. Because both plans were intended to provide for the retirement of teachers and other persons employed in connection with public schools of this state and schools supported by this state, a merger of these two plans is now hereby made for the purpose of establishing a single retirement plan that shall be known and may be cited as the State Teachers’ Retirement Plan consisting of the different benefit programs set forth in this part and Part 14 (commencing with Section 26000). This plan shall be administered by the Teachers’ Retirement Board as set forth in this part and Part 14 (commencing with Section 26000). This part, together with Part 14 (commencing with Section 26000) shall be known and may be cited as the Teachers’ Retirement Law.

(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 123, Sec. 1. (AB 991) Effective January 1, 2016.)