72-1277. Legislative findings.

The Legislature finds that:

(1) The Nebraska Investment Council was created by the Legislature in Laws 1967, LB 335. Additional legislation was passed in Laws 1969, LB 1345, which provided for centralization of the investment of state funds and addressed types of authorized investments and since then the statutory framework of the council has been modified periodically by the Legislature;

(2) The laws of Nebraska provide that the appointed members of the council and the state investment officer are deemed fiduciaries with respect to investment of the assets (a) in the retirement systems, the achieving a better life experience program pursuant to sections 77-1401 to 77-1409, and the Nebraska educational savings plan trust and as fiduciaries are required to discharge their duties with respect to such assets solely in the best interest of the members and beneficiaries of such plans and (b) of other state funds solely in the best interest of the residents of Nebraska;

(3) As fiduciaries, the appointed members of the council and the officer must act with the care, skill, prudence, and diligence under the circumstances then prevailing that a prudent person acting in like capacity and familiar with such matters would use in the conduct of an enterprise of like character with like aims by diversifying the investments of assets in the various plans so as to minimize the risk of large losses;

(4) The council managed over fifteen billion three hundred million dollars of assets as of September 30, 2007. Those assets have quadrupled since 1995. The assets managed by the council produced almost one billion five hundred million dollars in investment earnings in 2006 and almost seven billion dollars of investment earnings since December 31, 1995;

(5) The council has the responsibility of the management of portfolios for over thirty state entities. The financial markets and investment strategies that must be employed to achieve satisfactory returns have become more complex and the best practices of similar state government investment agencies have evolved since the creation of the council; and

(6) Pursuant to section 72-1249.02, the operating costs of the council are charged to the income of each fund managed by the council, and such charges are transferred to the State Investment Officer's Cash Fund. Management, custodial, and service costs that are a direct expense of state funds are paid from the income of such funds.

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