Skip to main content

The Stakeholders group behind HF 1234

In the previous post we quoted from the letter of support of HF 1234 from the Association of Minnesota Counties. 

"For over two years, AMC had the privilege of being part of a Public Safety Duty Disability Stakeholder Group. This group has been composed of a multitude of local government employers as well as law enforcement and union representatives."

I asked the League of Minnesota Cities, who I heard headed up the stakeholders group and received the following list.

The League of Minnesota Cities convened the meetings. Here are the groups that were represented:

Association of Minnesota Counties

Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities

Law Enforcement Labor Services

League of Minnesota Cities

Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association

Minnesota Department of Public Safety

Minnesota Inter County Association

Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association

Minnesota Professional Firefighters Association

Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association

Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association

Minnesota State Fire Departments Association

Minnesota State Patrol

Minnesota State Retirement Systems

Public Employees Retirement Association

Teamsters

The LMC says, "The League did not convene the stakeholder group after the 2022 Legislative Session. The Public Employees Retirement Association provisions pertaining to offsets and reapplication were not part of the work of the stakeholder group. Those provisions were considered in more recent meetings convened by the bill’s authors."

This stakeholder group is 80% management. Where any actual people on Disability Retirement actually contacted? 

Why wasn't MNCORA contacted?

MNPEA President Dave Deal testified at the March 20th LCPR meeting that they hadn't been notified. They represent a large amount of County Corrections Officers in some of Minnesota's largest jails like Hennepin County and Sherburne County. Surely they would be a stakeholder for the County Corrections members.

Corrections needs to be cut out of this Police and Fire Bill!

MNCORA encourages everyone to contact their State Senators and the members of the Senate Finance Committee and tell them not to adopt the changes found in HF 1234. The companion Senate File is SF 1959 and does not contain the changes adding Corrections that are found in HF 1234.


Popular posts from this blog

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...

Correctional Officers Federally Recognized as Public Safety Employees

As of January 1, 2025,  Correctional Officers are Federally Recognized as Public Safety Employees   the same as Police and Fire.  This has implications for disability, taxes and retirement. As we face new challenges to our pension in 2025 this will further the distinction between PERA General Plan members like 911 Dispatch and Probation and CO's in the PERA Correctional Plan. It's part  of the Secure Act 2.0. 26 USC § 72(t)()(10)  definition of Public Safety Employee - qualified public safety employee (10) Distributions to qualified public safety employees and private sector firefighters (A) In general In the case of a distribution to a qualified public safety employee from a governmental plan (within the meaning of section 414(d) ) or a distribution from a plan described in clause (iii), (iv), or (vi) of section 402(c)(8)(B) to an employee who provides firefighting services, paragraph (2)(A)(v) shall be applied by substituting “age 50 or 25 years of service u...

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