Letter to Senator Rosen

The Minnesota Legislature is still in session and the Delete Everything Amendment part of the Omnibus Bill is in discussion. The MNCORA Board sent the following to the LCPR Chair Senator Rosen today.

Senator Rosen,

Regarding the “Delete Everything Bill S3541-H4016.”

It is the position of the Minnesota Correctional Officer Retirement Association (MNCORA) that if a benefit is being given to the PERA Police and Fire Plan and the MSRS Correctional Plan then parity should be given to the PERA Correctional Plan.

P&F and the MSRS Correctional Plan are being offered a 2% reduction in employee contributions in this Bill and no reduction is being offered to the PERA Correctional Plan.

We’ve heard it argued that P&F and the MSRS Correctional Plans contribute more to their plans, but they also receive a greater retirement benefit. The high 5 of P&F is 3% and the MSRS Correctional Plan 2.2%.

By comparison the high 5 for PERA Correctional is 1.9% and has been since its’ inception in 1999.

Police and Fire already receives $9 million a year from the General Fund to bolster its pension and this bill adds an additional $91 million to it! The PERA Correctional requires no such help.

A simple 1% reduction to the employee contribution of the PERA Correctional for two years, then a return to current levels seems to be very affordable and doable or consider a permanent increase to a 2.2% high 5 like the MSRS Correctional Plan.

The PERA Correctional Plan is funded over 100% and its members deserve a seat at the table.

Sincerely,

The MNCORA Board

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...

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New Bill for Corrections seat on the PERA Board

MNCORA thanks Representatives Peggy Scott and House Leader Harry Niska for Authoring HF708 in the House and senators Cal Bahr and Jim Abeler for authoring the bill in the Senate SF1556 . Next step is for the LCPR to hear this Bill. Here's a link to the Pension Committee (LCPR). It's very important to contact them and ask them to give it a hearing for it to move on. https://www.lcpr.mn.gov/members.htm

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