Existing law establishes the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program and requires the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Investment Board to design and implement the program according to specified parameters and requirements, including, among others, that the program include one or more payroll deduction IRA arrangements. If certain prerequisites are met and the program is opened for enrollment, existing law eventually requires all eligible employers, as defined, that do not offer employer-sponsored retirement plans or automatic enrollment payroll deduction IRAs to have payroll deposit retirement savings arrangements so that eligible employees may participate in the program. Existing law specifies that funding for startup and first-year administrative costs for the program may be appropriated in the annual Budget Act from the General Fund and requires the board to repay the amount appropriated, plus interest, as specified.

This measure would prohibit the state from incurring any liability for payment of the retirement savings benefit earned by program participants in the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program. The measure would also prohibit the appropriation, transfer, or encumbrance of moneys in the General Fund for the purposes of the program, including any unfunded liability that the program may incur, unless the appropriation, transfer, or encumbrance is for funding the startup and first-year administrative costs for the program.