Section 100016.

(a) Prior to opening the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program for enrollment, if there is sufficient interest by vendors to participate and provide the necessary funding, the board shall establish both of the following:

(1) A Retirement Investments Clearinghouse on its Internet Web site.

(2) A vendor registration process through which information about employer-sponsored retirement plans, and payroll deduction IRAs offered by private sector providers is made available for consideration by eligible employers.

(b) Vendors that would like to participate in the board's Retirement Investments Clearinghouse and be listed on the board's Internet Web site as a registered vendor shall provide all of the following information:

(1) A statement of experience in California and in other states in providing employer-sponsored retirement plans, and payroll deduction IRAs.

(2) A description by the vendor of the types of retirement investment products offered.

(3) A disclosure of all expenses paid directly or indirectly by retirement plan participants, including, but not limited to, penalties for early withdrawals, declining or fixed withdrawal charges, surrender or deposit charges, management fees, and annual fees, supported by documentation as required for prospectus disclosure by the National Association of Securities Dealers and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Vendors shall be required to provide information regarding the impact of product fees upon a hypothetical investment, as described in Section 100022.

(4) The types of products, product features, services offered to participants, and information about how to access product prospectuses or other relevant product information.

(5) A discussion of the ability, experience, and commitment of the vendor to provide retirement counseling and education services, including, but not limited to, access to group meetings and individual counseling by various means, including telephone and telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDD), Internet, and face-to-face consultations by registered representatives.

(6) A statement of the financial strength of the vendor by identifying its ratings assigned by nationally recognized rating services that evaluate the financial strength of similar companies.

(7) The location of offices and counselors, individual registered representatives, brokers, financial planners, agents, or other methods of distribution, of the vendor that would serve employers and their employees in California.

(8) A description of the ability of the vendor to comply with all applicable provisions of federal and state law governing retirement plans, including minimum distribution requirements and contribution limits.

(9) To the extent applicable, the demonstrated ability of the vendor to offer an appropriate array of accumulation funding options, including, but not limited to, investment options that offer guaranteed returns on contributions and the conversion of retirement savings account balances to secure retirement income, a diversified mix of value, growth, growth and income, hybrid, and index funds or accounts across large, medium, and small capitalization asset classes, both domestic and international.

(10) A discussion of the range of administrative and customer services provided, including asset allocation, accounting and administration of benefits for individual participants, recordkeeping for individual participants, asset purchase, control, and safekeeping, execution of a participant's instructions as to asset and contribution allocation, calculation of daily net asset values, direct access for participants to their account information, periodic reporting that is not less than quarterly to active participants on their account balances and transactions, and compliance with the standard of care consistent with federal law and applicable to the provision of investment services.

(11) Certification by the vendor that the information provided to the board accurately reflects the provisions of the retirement investment products it registers.

(c) Vendors shall supply information and data in the format prescribed by the board.

(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 734, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2013. Conditionally operative as provided in Section 100042.)