Subd. 1. Plan created.

The Minnesota state retirement system shall establish a plan or plans, known as postretirement health care savings plans, through which public employers and employees may save to cover postretirement health care costs. The Minnesota state retirement system shall make available one or more trusts, including a governmental trust or governmental trusts, authorized under the Internal Revenue Code to be eligible for tax-preferred or tax-free treatment through which employers and employees can save to cover postretirement health care costs.

Subd. 2. Contracting authorized.

The Minnesota state retirement system is authorized to administer the plan and to contract with public and private entities to provide investment services, recordkeeping, benefit payments, and other functions necessary for the administration of the plan. If allowed by the Minnesota state board of investment, the Minnesota state board of investment supplemental investment funds may be offered as investment options under the postretirement savings plan or plans.

Subd. 3. Contributions.

1. (a) Contributions to the plan shall be determined through a personnel policy or in a collective bargaining agreement of a public employer with the exclusive representative of the covered employees in an appropriate unit. The Minnesota state retirement system may offer different types of trusts permitted under the Internal Revenue Code to best meet the needs of different employee units.
2. (b) Contributions to the plan by or on behalf of the employee shall be held in trust for reimbursement of employee and dependent health-related expenses following retirement from public employment. The Minnesota state retirement system shall maintain a separate account of the contributions made by or on behalf of each participant and the earnings thereon. The Minnesota state retirement system shall make available a limited range of investment options, and each employee may direct the investment of the accumulations in the employee's account among the investment options made available by the Minnesota state retirement system. At the request of a participating employer and employee group, the Minnesota state retirement system may determine how the assets of the affected employer and employee group should be invested.
3. (c) This section does not obligate a public employer to meet and negotiate in good faith with the exclusive bargaining representative of any public employee group regarding an employer contribution to a postretirement health care savings plan authorized by this section and section 356.24, subdivision 1, clause (7). It is not the intent of the legislature to authorize the state to incur new funding obligations for the costs of retiree health care or the costs of administering retiree health care plans or accounts.

Subd. 4. Reimbursement for health-related expenses.

Following termination of public service, the Minnesota state retirement system shall reimburse employees at least quarterly for submitted health-related expenses, until the employee exhausts the accumulation in the employee's account. If an employee dies prior to exhausting the employee's account balance, the employee's spouse or dependents shall be eligible to be reimbursed for health care expenses from the account until the account balance is exhausted. If an account balance remains after the death of a participant and all of the participant's legal dependents, the remainder of the account shall be paid to the employee's beneficiaries or, if none, to the employee's estate.

Subd. 5. Fees.

The Minnesota state retirement plan is authorized to charge uniform fees to participants to cover the ongoing cost of operating the plan. Any fees not needed shall revert to participant accounts or be used to reduce plan fees the following year. The Minnesota state retirement system is authorized to charge participating employers a fee, not to exceed one-sixth of the Federal Insurance Contribution Act savings realized by the employer as a result of participating in the plan, until the initial costs of establishing the plan or plans authorized by this section are recovered, or $75,000, whichever is less.

Subd. 6. Advisory committee.

1. (a) The Minnesota state retirement system shall establish a participant advisory committee for the plan, made up of one representative appointed by each employee unit participating in the plan. Each participating unit shall be responsible for the expenses of its own representative.
2. (b) The advisory committee shall meet at least twice per year and shall be consulted on plan offerings and vendor selection. By October 1 of each year, the Minnesota state retirement system shall give the advisory committee a statement of fees collected and the use of the fees.

Subd. 7. Contracting with private entities.

Nothing in this section shall prohibit employers from contracting with private entities to provide for postretirement health care reimbursement plans.