Proxy Voting Guidelines

As the principal fiduciary for the Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds, Connecticut Treasurer Erick Russell is required to act prudently and in the long-term economic interest of plan participants. In addition, Connecticut law directs the Treasurer to consider the social, economic and environmental implications of particular investments on foreign policies and the national interests of the United States.

When the CRPTF invests in a company, it becomes a shareholder of that company. Shareholders are obligated to vote each year on certain significant issues that may affect the future financial performance of the company. One of the shareholders' most important responsibilities is to elect the members of the board of directors, who are ultimately accountable for corporate performance. Shareholder votes also may affect the economic interests of certain stakeholders of the company including the employees and the community in which the company resides. Shareholders sometimes are asked to approve changes in compensation, mergers or acquisitions, and how the company raises capital.

Investors, such as the State of Connecticut, refer to written policies to guide decisions concerning companies in which the fund has an ownership interest. Customarily, pension fund managers do not attend the annual meetings where such corporate policies are voted on. Instead, fund managers send in their ballots known as proxies. The written policies that guide how proxies are voted are referred to as proxy voting policies.

The Treasurer views this proxy voting responsibility as one which is of the utmost importance to the Funds. Proxy voting is a mechanism that allows investors to hold companies in which they invest accountable for the business decisions they make. In the examination of every investment, Connecticut law requires the Treasurer to scrutinize these corporate decisions to determine whether they have met the standards of good corporate citizenship as articulated in the law. The Treasurer is also responsible for the consideration of the long-term, best economic interests of the workers and retirees who rely on the fund for their pension benefit upon retirement. For this reason, the Treasurer's proxy vote must be informed by a rigorous economic analysis to ensure that it meets standards of prudence and loyalty related to the Treasurer's fiduciary responsibilities.

These proxy voting policies are available here
Summaries of the proxy votes cast are available here.