§1162. Members of board of trustees; appointment or election; terms of office; vacancies; compensation

A. The board shall consist of the following trustees:

(1) President of the Louisiana School Bus Operators' Association, ex officio.

(2) A member of the House Committee on Retirement appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, or the member's designee.

(3) Chairman of the Retirement Committee of the Senate, ex officio, or his designee.

(4) The secretary of state, ex officio, or his designee.

(5) The state treasurer, ex officio, or his designee. Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 49:307.1, the treasurer may name any person as his designee to this board.

(6) The commissioner of administration, ex officio, or his designee.

(7)(a) Four members of the system shall be elected by the members of the retirement system for a term of four years each, according to such rules and regulations as the board of trustees shall adopt to govern such elections. Except as otherwise provided in this Paragraph, each board member shall be a resident of the district represented. The districts will elect a member for a four-year term with the elections staggered so as to elect one member each year. Participation in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan shall not cause a member to be ineligible for candidacy in an election for the active member position on the board of trustees. Any member of this system who is elected to serve as a representative of the active members on the board of trustees and who, after such election, either commences participation in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan or retires shall not have his term of office as a trustee affected by either of those events.

(b) Beginning March 1, 1997, and until December 31, 2008, the districts shall be composed of the following parishes:

(i) District 1: Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, and Terrebonne.

(ii) District 2: Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Lafayette, Livingston, St. Helena, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.

(iii) District 3: Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, DeSoto, East Carroll, Franklin, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Red River, Richland, Tensas, Union, Webster, West Carroll, and Winn.

(iv) District 4: Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline, Grant, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Sabine, St. Landry, St. Mary, Vermilion, and Vernon.

(c) Each member elected pursuant to this Paragraph who takes office on or after January 1, 2009, shall be elected from districts composed as provided in this Subparagraph. Each member serving on December 31, 2008, who was elected to represent a district as provided in Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph shall represent the district as provided in this Subparagraph having the same number designation as the district as provided in Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph from which the member was elected until the expiration of his term of office, whether or not he is a resident of the district as provided in this Subparagraph. Each successor of a member serving on December 31, 2008, who was elected to represent a district as provided in Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph shall be elected from the district as provided in this Subparagraph having the same number designation and shall be a resident of the district as provided in this Subparagraph. On January 1, 2009, and thereafter, the districts shall be composed of the following parishes:

(i) District 1: Assumption, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, and Terrebonne.

(ii) District 2: Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.

(iii) District 3: Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Jackson, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland, Tensas, Union, Webster, and West Carroll.

(iv) District 4: Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, DeSoto, Evangeline, Grant, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Sabine, St. Landry, Vermilion, Vernon, and Winn.

(8) Two retired members elected at large by the retirees of the retirement system, provided the members' terms of office are for the same duration, but staggered so that the beginning and ending years of each member's term are not on the same year, and the member's terms and elections shall be governed according to rules and regulations adopted by the board of trustees.

B. If a vacancy occurs in the office of a trustee, the vacancy may be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as the office was previously filled or the board of trustees may appoint a member or service retiree to fill the unexpired term.

C. As compensation for their services as members of the board, each and every trustee thereof shall be paid thirty-five dollars for each day said trustee is in attendance at any meeting of the board or a committee meeting set by the board and, in addition thereto, shall be reimbursed for all necessary expenses incurred through services on the board.

Amended by Acts 1961, No. 39, §1; Acts 1962, No. 136, §1; Acts 1964, No. 49, §2; Acts 1974, No. 248, §3; Redesignated from R.S. 17:932 by Acts 1991, No. 74, §3, eff. June 25, 1991; Acts 1993, No. 598, §1, eff. March 1, 1994; Acts 1993, No. 758, §1, eff. March 1, 1994; Acts 1993, No. 855, §1, eff. March 1, 1994; Acts 1993, No. 862, §1, eff. March 1, 1994; Acts 1993, No. 929, §1, eff. March 1, 1994; Acts 1997, No. 6, §1, eff. May 9, 1997; Acts 1997, No. 625, §1, eff. July 3, 1997, retroactive to March 1, 1997; Acts 1999, No. 52, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1348, §1, eff. July 1, 1999; Acts 2001, No. 264, §1, eff. July 1, 2001; Acts 2008, No. 80, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2009; Acts 2012, No. 113, §1, eff. June 30, 2012; Acts 2016, No. 621, §1, eff. June 17, 2016.