PRINTER'S NO. 987
No. 869 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY MURPHY, O'DONNELL, KUKOVICH, ITKIN, MICHLOVIC,
FEE, McNALLY, PERZEL, WASS, JOSEPHS, ROBINSON, KOSINSKI,
PRESSMANN, KENNEY, STISH, MAYERNIK, GANNON, BLAUM, TRELLO,
CAWLEY, LEVDANSKY, VEON, CORRIGAN AND PISTELLA, APRIL 3, 1989
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, APRIL 3, 1989
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of December 18, 1984 (P.L.1005, No.205),
2 entitled "An act mandating actuarial funding standards for
3 all municipal pension systems; establishing a recovery
4 program for municipal pension systems determined to be
5 financially distressed; providing for the distribution of the
6 tax on the premiums of foreign fire insurance companies; and
7 making repeals," imposing restrictions on investments in
8 Northern Ireland.
9 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
10 hereby enacts as follows:
11 Section 1. The act of December 18, 1984 (P.L.1005, No.205),
12 known as the Municipal Pension Plan Funding Standard and
13 Recovery Act, is amended by adding a section to read:
14 Section 404. Northern Ireland related investments.
15 (a) General rule.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
16 law to the contrary, on or after the effective date of this
17 section, any funds of any municipal pension plan which shall be
18 invested in the stocks, securities or other obligations of any
19 institution or company doing business in or with Northern
20 Ireland or with agencies or instrumentalities thereof, shall be
1 invested in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c).
2 (b) Annual review.--On or before the first day of January of
3 each year, the commissioner shall determine the existence of
4 affirmative action taken by institutions or companies doing
5 business in Northern Ireland to eliminate ethnic or religious
6 discrimination based on actions taken for:
7 (1) Increasing the representation of individuals from
8 underrepresented religious groups in the work force including
9 managerial, supervisory, administrative, clerical and
10 technical jobs.
11 (2) Providing adequate security for the protection of
12 minority employees both at the workplace and while traveling
13 to and from work.
14 (3) The banning of provocative religious or political
15 emblems from the workplace.
16 (4) Publicly advertising all job openings and making
17 special recruitment efforts to attract applicants from
18 underrepresented religious groups.
19 (5) Providing that layoff, recall and termination
20 procedures should not in practice favor particular religious
21 groupings.
22 (6) The abolition of job reservations, apprenticeship
23 restrictions and differential employment criteria, which
24 discriminate on the basis of religion or ethnic origin.
25 (7) The development of training programs that will
26 prepare substantial number of current minority employees for
27 skilled jobs, including the expansion of existing programs
28 and the creation of new programs to train, upgrade and
29 improve the skills of minority employees.
30 (8) The establishment of procedures to assess, identify
19890H0869B0987 - 2 -
1 and actively recruit minority employees with potential for
2 further advancement.
3 (9) The appointment of senior management staff members
4 to oversee affirmative action efforts and the setting up of
5 timetables to carry out affirmative action principles.
6 (c) Investments.--Consistent with sound investment policy, a
7 municipal pension plan shall invest its funds in the manner that
8 the investments in institutions doing business in or with
9 Northern Ireland shall reflect the advances made by the
10 institutions in eliminating discrimination according to the
11 principles set forth in subsection (b).
12 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
A23L72JRW/19890H0869B0987 - 3 -