143B-426.24. North Carolina Public Employee Deferred Compensation Plan.

(a) The Governor may, by Executive Order, establish a Board of Trustees of the North Carolina Public Employee Deferred Compensation Plan, which when established shall be constituted an agency of the State of North Carolina within the Department of State Treasurer. The Board shall create, establish, implement, coordinate and administer a Deferred Compensation Plan for employees of the State, any county or municipality, the North Carolina Community College System, and any political subdivision of the State. Until so established, the Board heretofore established pursuant to Executive Order XII dated November 12, 1974, shall continue in effect. Likewise, the Plan heretofore established shall continue until a new plan is established. Effective July 1, 2008, the Plan shall be administered by the Supplemental Retirement Board of Trustees established under G.S. 135-96.

(b)-(f) Repealed by Session Laws 2008-132, s. 3, effective July 1, 2009.

(g) It shall be the duty of the Supplemental Retirement Board to review all contracts, agreements or arrangements then in force relating to G.S. 147-9.2 and Executive Order XII to include, but not be limited to, such contracts, agreements or arrangements pertaining to the administrative services and the investment of deferred funds under the Plan for the purpose of recommending continuation of or changes to such contracts, agreements or arrangements.

(h) It shall be the duty of the Supplemental Retirement Board to devise a uniform Deferred Compensation Plan for teachers and employees, which shall include a reasonable number of options to the teacher or employee, for the investment of deferred funds, among which may be life insurance, fixed or variable annuities and retirement income contracts, regulated investment trusts, pooled investment funds managed by the Board or its designee, or other forms of investment approved by the Board, always in such form as will assure the desired tax treatment of such funds. The Board may alter, revise and modify the Plan from time to time to improve the Plan or to conform to and comply with requirements of State and federal laws and regulations relating to the deferral of compensation of teachers and public employees generally.

(h1) Notwithstanding any other law, an employee of any county or municipality, an employee of the North Carolina Community College System, or an employee of any political subdivision of the State may participate in any 457 Plan adopted by the State, with the consent of the Supplemental Retirement Board and with the consent of the proper governing authority of such county, municipality, community college, or political subdivision of the State where such employee is employed.

(h2) The administrative costs of the North Carolina Public Employee Deferred Compensation Plan may be charged to members or deducted from members' accounts in accordance with nondiscriminatory procedures established by the Department of State Treasurer and Board of Trustees.

(i) The Supplemental Retirement Board is authorized to delegate the performance of such of its administrative duties as it deems appropriate including coordination, administration, and marketing of the Plan to teachers and employees. Prior to entering into any contract with respect to such administrative duties, it shall seek bids, hold public hearings and in general take such steps as are calculated by the Board to obtain competent, efficient and worthy services for the performance of such administrative duties.

(j) The Supplemental Retirement Board may acquire investment vehicles from any company duly authorized to conduct such business in this State or may establish, alter, amend and modify, to the extent it deems necessary or desirable, a trust for the purpose of facilitating the administration, investment and maintenance of assets acquired by the investment of deferred funds. All assets of the Plan, including all deferred amounts, property and rights purchased with deferred amounts, and all income attributed thereto shall be held in trust for the exclusive benefit of the Plan participants and their beneficiaries.

(k), (l) Repealed by Session Laws 2008-132, s. 3, effective July 1, 2009.

(m) Investment of deferred funds shall not be unreasonably delayed, and in no case shall the investment of deferred funds be delayed more than 30 days. The Supplemental Retirement Board may accumulate such funds pending investment, and the interest earned on such funds pending investment shall be available to and may be spent in the discretion of the Board only for the reasonable and necessary expenses of the Board. The State Treasurer is authorized to prescribe guidelines for the expenditure of such funds by the Board. From time to time as the Board may direct, funds not required for such expenses may be used to defray administrative expenses and fees which would otherwise be required to be borne by teachers and employees who are then participating in the Plan.

(n) Repealed by Session Laws 2008-132, s. 3, effective July 1, 2009.

(o) It is intended that the provisions of this Part shall be liberally construed to accomplish the purposes provided for herein.