Oklahoma Administrative Code
Title 715 - Teachers' Retirement System
Chapter 1 - Administrative Operations
Section 715:1-1-19 - Appointment of non-voting Trustee

(a) The Board of Trustees is composed of fourteen (14) voting members and one (1) non-voting member who is to be selected by a statewide organization representing retired educators under Section 17-106 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes. As there is the possibility that more than one statewide organization representing retired educators exists, TRS shall employ an annual process to determine which such organization has the ability to make the non-voting trustee appointment.

(b) The term ''Statewide organization representing retired educators'' shall mean an entity primarily organized for the purpose of representing the interests of retired educators in this state and providing member benefits, as is defined in Section 17-122.1 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Furthermore, the entity must have at least two hundred (200) retired educators in its membership who are also members of TRS .

(c) Any organization that asserts that it meets the definition of a statewide organization representing retired educators shall make application to TRS to be recognized as the organization to make this selection. The application shall be submitted with documentation that shows the legal status of the organization (corporation, association, other). The material submitted shall also provide documentation formally adopted by the organization demonstrating the organization meets the definition of a statewide organization representing retired educators and documentation formally adopted by the organization detailing the internal procedure by which the organization will select the candidate to be appointed to the Board of Trustees.

(d) The Board of Trustees shall decide which organization(s) meet the definition of an eligible organization.

(e) Should more than one organization meet the definition of an eligible organization, the Board of Trustees shall maintain a register of eligible organizations and shall place the organizations meeting the definition on the initial register according to the membership number of the organizations, with the organization with the most members being listed first on the register, and the organization with the lowest number of members being listed last. The organization listed first on the register shall follow its own governing documents to make the selection of the non-voting trustee, and provide notification of the appointment to the TRS in writing by December 10, 2014. By September 30 of every year thereafter every organization on the register must re-certify to the System that it continues to meet the definition of statewide organization representing retired educators, and that it has at least two hundred (200) members who are retired educators. Any organization that fails to re-certify its eligibility or fails to meet the eligibility shall be stricken from the register by the System . By November 1 of every year the System shall notify the next organization listed on the register of its entitlement to make the non-voting member appointment for the next calendar year, with notification to the TRS of the name of the appointed non-voting member in writing by December 10 of that year. This yearly procedure shall continue through the register sequentially until all organizations on the register have made an appointment to the Board of Trustees. Entitlement to make the appointment shall then return to the first organization listed on the register, and the procedure shall continue yearly in the same manner sequentially through the register.

(f) Any organization making application for eligibility and addition to the register after September 15, 2014, shall make application to TRS in the same manner described above. The Board shall decide by November 1 of the year in which the application is made if the organization meets the definition of an eligible organization. The organization shall then be added to the end of the register. In any year in which more than one organization is added to the register, it shall be added according to the membership number of the organizations, with the organization with the most members being listed first on the register, and the organization with the lowest number of members being listed last.

(g) The term of the non-voting Trustee appointment made hereunder shall be one (1) calendar year, from January 1 to December 31.