(a) There shall be maintained in the State Treasury the Public Employees’ Contingency Reserve Fund. The board may invest funds in the Public Employees’ Contingency Reserve Fund in accordance with the law governing its investment of the retirement fund.

(b) (1) An account shall be maintained within the Public Employees’ Contingency Reserve Fund with respect to the health benefit plans the board has approved or that have entered into a contract with the board. The account shall be credited, from time to time and in amounts as determined by the board, with moneys contributed under Section 22885 or 22901 to provide an adequate contingency reserve. The income derived from any dividends, premium adjustments, or other funds received from a health benefit plan shall be credited to the account. The board may deposit, in the same manner as provided in paragraph (4), up to one-half of 1 percent of premiums in the account for purposes of cost containment programs, subject to approval as provided in paragraph (2) of subdivision (c).

(2) The account for health benefit plans may be utilized to defray increases in future premiums, to reduce the contributions of employees and annuitants and employers, to implement cost containment programs, or to increase the benefits provided by a health benefit plan, as determined by the board. The board may use penalties and interest deposited pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 22899 to pay any difference between the adjusted premium set by the board pursuant to Section 22864 and the applicable health benefit plan contract premiums.

(3) The total credited to the account for health benefit plans at any time shall be limited, in the manner and to the extent the board may find to be most practical, to a maximum of 10 percent of the total of the contributions of the employers and employees and annuitants in any fiscal year. The board may undertake any action to ensure that the maximum amount prescribed for the fund is approximately maintained.

(4) Board rules and regulations adopted pursuant to Section 22831 to minimize the impact of adverse selection or contracts entered into pursuant to Section 22864 to implement health benefit plan performance incentives may provide for deposit in and disbursement to carriers or to Medicare from the account the portion of the contributions otherwise payable directly to the carriers by the Controller under Section 22913 as may be required for that purpose. The deposits shall not be included in applying the limitations, prescribed in paragraph (3), on total amounts that may be deposited in or credited to the fund.

(5) Notwithstanding Section 13340, all moneys in the account for health benefit plans are continuously appropriated without regard to fiscal year for the purposes provided in this subdivision.

(c) (1) An account shall also be maintained in the Public Employees’ Contingency Reserve Fund for administrative expenses consisting of funds deposited for this purpose pursuant to Sections 22885 and 22901.

(2) The moneys deposited pursuant to Sections 22885 and 22901 in the Public Employees’ Contingency Reserve Fund may be expended by the board for administrative purposes, provided that the expenditure is approved in the annual Budget Act.

(d) An account shall be maintained in the Public Employees’ Contingency Reserve Fund for the contributions required pursuant to Section 22870. Notwithstanding Section 13340, the funds are continuously appropriated, without regard to fiscal year, for the payment of premiums or other charges to carriers or the Public Employees’ Health Care Fund. This subdivision shall not apply to state administrative costs, which shall continue to be subject to Section 13340.

(e) An account shall be maintained in the Public Employees’ Contingency Reserve Fund for the contributions required pursuant to Section 22890 and for payments made pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 22850. Notwithstanding Section 13340, the funds are continuously appropriated, without regard to fiscal year, for the payment of premiums or other charges to carriers or the Public Employees’ Health Care Fund. Penalties and interest paid pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 22899 shall be deposited in the account pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (b).

(f) Accounts shall be maintained in the Public Employees’ Contingency Reserve Fund for complementary annuitant premiums and related administrative expenses paid by annuitants pursuant to Section 22802. Notwithstanding Section 13340, the funds are continuously appropriated, without regard to fiscal year, to reimburse the Public Employees’ Retirement Fund, the Judges’ Retirement Fund, the Judges’ Retirement Fund II, and the Legislators’ Retirement Fund, as applicable, for payment of annuitant health premiums, and for the payment of premiums and other charges to carriers or to the Public Employees’ Health Care Fund. Administrative expenses deposited in this account shall be credited to the account provided by subdivision (c).

(g) Amounts received by the board for retiree drug subsidy payments that are attributed to contracting agencies and their annuitants and employees pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 22910.5 shall be deposited in the Public Employees’ Contingency Reserve Fund. Notwithstanding Section 13340, these amounts are continuously appropriated, without regard to fiscal year, for the payment of premiums, costs, contributions, or other benefits related to contracting agencies and their employees and annuitants, and as consistent with the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, as amended.

(h) The Account for Retiree Drug Subsidy Payments is hereby established in the Public Employees’ Contingency Reserve Fund and funds in that account shall, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be used for the purposes described in Section 22910.5.

(i) Notwithstanding any other law, the Controller may use the moneys in the Public Employees’ Contingency Reserve Fund for loans to the General Fund as provided in Sections 16310 and 16381. However, interest shall be paid on all moneys loaned to the General Fund from the Public Employees’ Contingency Reserve Fund. Interest payable shall be computed at a rate determined by the Pooled Money Investment Board to be the current earning rate of the fund from which loaned. This subdivision does not authorize any transfer that will interfere with the carrying out of the object for which the Public Employees’ Contingency Reserve Fund was created.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 330, Sec. 21. (SB 782) Effective January 1, 2020.)