Memorandum  #18: Mandatory Retirement Board Member Training – 2nd Quarter 2020

Date:	03/30/2020
Referenced Sources:	PERAC Website

PERAC Memo #18, 2020

To All Retirement Boards:

M E M O R A N D U M

TO:        All Retirement Boards

FROM: John W. Parsons, Esq., Executive Director

RE:       Mandatory Retirement Board Member Training – 2nd Quarter 2020

DATE: March 30, 2020

First, I would like to acknowledge and commend the dedication and diligence shown by retirement board members and staff during these unprecedented times.  Your perseverance and flexibility are allowing the retirement community to continue to meet its mission.

Chapter 32 mandates that retirement board members complete training during each year of service on the retirement board.  This requirement has two elements: 18 credits over the course of the member’s term and at least 3 credits in each year of the term. In light of current circumstances, we are only listing online training opportunities at this time.  All trainings listed will earn the board member three credits each.

The online opportunities will remain, and hopefully things will return to normal and we will be able to offer in-person trainings as usual.

The law states that failure to earn three credits per year or 18 credits for the term prohibits the member from serving beyond the conclusion of the term for which the training requirement was not met. PERAC authored a provision in the law by which a board member can appeal for a waiver from the requirements for extenuating circumstances. Please know the state of emergency of and by itself will not be grounds for approval of such a waiver request.

If warranted, we will issue an additional Education Memo outlining any in-person presentations. The centerpiece of our second quarter training has historically been the June MACRS Conference.  We will notify you of plans for that event when a decision is made by MACRS whether to go forward.

On a related note, the PERAC Emerging Issues Forum is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, September 17, 2020.

If a certificate of completion is offered for training not directly offered by PERAC, you must submit it through PROSPER for proper credit. Otherwise, please submit the Training Affidavit in PROSPER.

Thank you for your efforts in fulfilling these and all of your duties as a board member.

I. Pre-Approved Online Training (available year-round)

>Organization	Topic	How to find webinar:
State Ethics Commission	Conflict of Interest Law Training Note: board members must take this training every two years	https://go.usa.gov/xpPxD and select State/County or Municipal employee to view appropriate webinar
PRIM	Executive Director Update          4th quarter 2019	https://www.mass.gov/service-details/q4-prim-webinar
Office of the Inspector General	How to be an Effective Public Board and Commission Member	https://tinyurl.com/IG20abc to view webinar
Office of the Inspector General	Contract Administration for Public Employees	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db6_JtvbPRQ
Office of the Attorney General	Open Meeting Law Training	https://go.usa.gov/xpPx5 to view. You must watch all six videos
National Council on Teacher Retirement	Setting the Discount Rate – A Balancing Act	www.nctr.org/government-relations/federal-webinar/ and enter the password: nctrinsight
National Crime Prevention Council	Investment Fraud Prevention Program	https://tinyurl.com/NCPC-perac Download and review all five pdf presentations
PERAC	Various Webinars Available Please copy link to view	https://go.usa.gov/xpPEn Unless otherwise noted, all PERAC webinars can be viewed for credit.
US Department of Health and Human Services	Security Awareness Training	https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/hhs-etc/security-awareness/index.html

Commission Members

Philip Y Brown, Esq., Chairman
Auditor Suzanne M. Bump
Kathleen M. Fallon
Kate Fitzpatrick
James M. Machado
Robert B. McCarthy
Jennifer F. Sullivan