History of LASERS

In July 1946, Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis and his administration sponsored legislation to create a retirement system that would provide retirement allowances and other benefits for state officers, employees, and their beneficiaries. LASERS was established by Act 126 that year and was appropriated $725,000 to create and administer the plan. The first members joined the System in 1947.

Since then, LASERS has experienced tremendous growth in plan assets. Our number of active and retired members has changed substantially, and LASERS continues to provide a modest average retirement benefit to our members.

Through the years, the LASERS Board of Trustees and staff have worked with the Legislature to implement numerous reforms, further enhancing the future sustainability of our plan and security of our members.

Our significant achievements and continued dedication to the preservation of the retirement system have played a vital role in building LASERS into the modern, essential agency it is today.

Below you will find notable highlights from our history.

Additional in-depth historical information can be found on the Legislative History, Board History, Investment History, Tech History, and Who’s Who sections.

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Timeline

  • 1946

    LASERS Established

    The Retirement System began with 13 employees at the Pentagon Court Barracks.

    Act 126 created a Board of Trustees of seven members.

  • 1947

    Members Join

    The first members joined the System on July 1, 1947 with 12 retirees.

    LASERS had approximately $1.1 million in investments.

  • 1968

    Newsletter Published

    LASERS first membership newsletter, Retirement Topics, was published.

    LASERS investments rose from $169 million to $192 million to $220 million.

  • 1969

    First COLA

    Act 85 provided for the first Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) to be paid to eligible retirees.

  • 1987

    Moved to United Plaza

    LASERS moved to our current location at 8401 United Plaza Blvd, Baton Rouge, 70809.

  • 1990

    The Beam Newsletter

    The Beam membership newsletter was introduced in the Spring of 1990 on a quarterly basis, and replaced the annual Retirement Topics.

    Pre-Retirement Education Presentation (PREP) Seminars were developed to educate members on the system and their future retirement benefits.

  • 1991

    LASERS Acronym

    Act 863 authorized the use of “LASERS” as a shortened name for the system.

  • 1992

    Experience Account Established

    Act 572 created the Experience Account to fund cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) with system investment earnings.

  • 1993

    First Phone System

    LASERS introduced its first phone system in 1993, the Direct-Talk by IBM.

  • 1997

    Assets Increase

    LASERS assets reached $4 Billion.

  • 1998

    LASERS is Online

    LASERS first website went live on July 1, 1998.

  • 2000

    Direct Deposit

    Direct Deposit became mandatory for members retiring on or after December 31, 1999.

  • 2008

    Member Self-Service

    The State of Louisiana Retirement Information System (SOLARIS) and Member Self-Service were deployed. Self-Service allowed members to view their LASERS account information online for the first time.

    LASERS assets reached $8.68 Billion.

  • 2013

    You’ve Got Mail

    The first Member Connection email was sent to over 30,000 members on March 1, 2013.

  • 2017

    www.lasersonline.org

    LASERS launched the current website on January 4, 2017.

  • 2018

    Optimus Launched

    LASERS new imaging system, Optimus, fully launched in 2018.

  • 2020

    myLASERS Replaced Member Self-Service

    myLASERS was introduced as the new online account management tool for LASERS members and benefit recipients.

    LASERS operations performed nearly 100% with staff working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    LASERS assets reached $12.3 Billion.

  • 2021

    Highest Investment Return

    LASERS reported a 35.6% investment return for the 12-month period that ended June 30, 2021, the highest return in the history of the System.

    Total market value of assets stand in excess of $14.7 billion.

  • 2022

    One-Time Supplemental Payment

    Governor John Bel Edwards signed Act 656 (SB 5), which authorized a one-time supplemental payment to over 45,000 eligible LASERS retirees and beneficiaries.

  • 2023

    Act 184 Reforms COLA Mechanism

    Governor John Bel Edwards signed Act 184, which reforms the mechanism by which future cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) are funded and granted. Learn more.

    LASERS featured in Pensions & Investments magazine as the top performer with an 11.7% investment return among 65 U.S. public pension funds tracked by the magazine.

  • 2024

    Market Value of Assets Exceeds $15 Billion

    For the 12-month period that ended June 30, 2024, LASERS achieved a 14.0% investment return and our total market value of assets exceeds $15 billion. LASERS funded ratio reaches 71.4%.

LASERS by the Numbers

LASERS Membership
1949-2020

LASERS Average Annual Benefit
1949-2020