(a) There is hereby established a retirement savings trust known as the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Trust to be administered by the board for the purpose of promoting greater retirement savings for California private employees in a convenient, voluntary, low-cost, and portable manner. After sufficient funds are made available for this title to be operative, the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Trust, as a self-sustaining trust, shall pay all costs of administration only out of moneys on deposit therein.

(b) The board shall segregate moneys received by the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Trust into two funds, which shall be identified as the program fund and the administrative fund. Notwithstanding Section 13340, moneys in the trust are hereby continuously appropriated, without regard to fiscal years, to the board for the purposes of this title.

(c) Moneys in the program fund may be invested or reinvested by the Treasurer or may be invested in whole or in part under contract with the board of a California public retirement system, with private money managers, or in myRAs, or a combination thereof, as determined by the board.

(d) Transfers may be made from the program fund to the administrative fund for the purpose of paying operating costs associated with administering the trust and as required by this title, including, but not limited to, board operations, program administrator and investment expenses, and enforcement and compliance costs. On and after six years from the date the program is implemented, on an annual basis, expenditures from the administrative fund shall not exceed more than 1 percent of the total program fund. All costs of administration of the trust shall be paid out of the administrative fund.

(e) Any contributions paid by employees and employers into the trust shall be used exclusively for the purpose of paying benefits to the participants of the CalSavers Retirement Savings Program, for the cost of administration of the program, and for investments made for the benefit of the program.

(f) The California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Trust is an instrumentality of the state. Any security issued, managed, or invested by the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Investment Board within the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Trust on behalf of an individual participating within the CalSavers Retirement Savings Program shall be exempt from Sections 25110, 25120, and 25130 of the Corporations Code.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 37, Sec. 31. (AB 1817) Effective June 27, 2018.)