December 3rd Pension Work Group Update

Friday Dec 3rd was potentially the final Pension Benefits Work Group meeting. The LCPR and Chair wants this to be the last meeting.

The Chair Darlene Pankonie surveyed the group, no actual vote, asking the Members if 911 Dispatchers should have an enhanced pension. There was not a consensus.

Even without consensus the Chair asked if 911 Telecommunicators should be added to the Correctional Plans. Again, no consensus. Mainly only the dispatchers supported. The City and County groups opposed as well as the Corrections Officers, Heidi Paumen (appointed by PERA), Dan Gorman (MN CO appointed by MSRS) and Advisor, Retiree Wade Laszlo.

What happens next?

Chad Burkitt, the Analyst for the LCPR, will write the report using minutes and documents from the Work Group's meetings in concert with Darlene Pankonie, who very clearly wants the enhanced pension for dispatchers and judging from the past meetings she wants them in the Correctional Plan.

The report will go to the Legislature's Pension Retirement Commission. The report will have to reflect there was not consensus, but we don't know what it will recommend. Keep in mind this Working Group was born out of Senator Bigham's Bill (SF 2198) to just add 911 Telecommunicators to the PERA Correctional Plan.

The Pension Retirement Commission has the power to let the issue die or move it on to the full legislature.

This issue is not dead!

Session summary, wins and lossses

Governor Walz signed into law the Pension Omnibus Bill yesterday, May 15. It was a busy year for MNCORA and PERA Correctional Plan Legislation. MNCORA with your help was able to stave off yet another attempt to add dispatchers to our pension. Your petitions, calls and thousands of cards mailed to legislators was a success. Sadly we are not out of the woods. Rep. Wolgamott and Rep. Her both told MNCORA that the bill to add dispatch to our pension wouldn't be added to this year's Pension Omnibus Bill, but did not say the issue was dead for next session. MNCORA had a Bill to add a Correctional Officer to the PERA Board authored by Representatives Niska , Scott and Novotny on the House side, and a companion Bill in the Senate by Senators Bahr , Abeler and eventually Frentz . Sadly Pension Commission Chair Kaohly Her did not even allow our Bill a hearing. We will be back with this next year! Another bright note was the passage of a Bill raising the high 5 multipl...

Victory on keeping Dispatch out of Correctional Pension?

It's too early to declare victory as the Legislature is still in session. However there are signs the petitions from jails across the State and Cards to the Pension Commission are having the desired effect. Chair of the Pension Commission, Rep. Her wrote us saying- " Thank you for the letters. I always appreciate feedback. HF4796/SF4958 was not included in the Pension Omnibus bill. " Author of HF4796, Rep. Wolgamott wrote us and said- "Thank you for sharing your input regarding HF 4796. The bill will not receive a committee hearing and will not be moving through the legislative process this session. I hope you will continue to stay in touch and keep me updated with MNCORA’s perspective on issues and legislation affecting your members." There are still ways to sneak it in so we won't rest until the session is over, but we are cautiously optimistic. We thought the issue was settled after the Workgroup two years ago, but here it is again. Our hope is they ge...

PERA Correctional seat on the PERA Board, next step

Bill HF4342 authored by Rep. Niska and Scott now has a companion bill in the Senate, SF4464 authored by Sen. Bahr and co-authored by Sen. Abeler. MNCORA is thankful for the support of these Representatives and Senators. If passed for the first time a PERA Correctional Officer will have a seat on the PERA Board. The next step is for the Pension Commission to give it a hearing. If it is not heard the bill will die. What can you do? The Chair of the Pension Commission is Representative Her. This is her contact information: Phone 651-296-8799 E-mail: rep.kaohly.her@house.mn.gov The Vice chair on the Senate side is Senator Frentz. This is his contact information: Phone 651-296-6153 E-Mail sen.nick.frentz@senate.mn PLEASE contact them and ask them to have the Pension Commission give it a hearing and then contact your Representative and Senator and ask them to support these Bills. Make your voice heard!

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