Bill  HF4342   and  SF4464  to add a Corrections Officer seat to the PERA Board  has had authors in both the House and Senate for weeks. Yet the Pension Commission has not heard the Bill 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. This is a short session and if it doesn't pass we will have to start from scratch next year. There have been 2 runs on our Pension in as many years. We need a seat on the PERA Board.

On March 18 the Pension Commission Heard Bill HF4081, a bill that will raise the current multiplier for the PERA Correctional Plan from 1.9 to 2.2% . Anoka County Sheriff Brad Wise gave a speech supporting the increase and one of the best speeches regarding the profession of Detention Deputies we've heard. The following is his testimony before the Pension Commission. His testimony begins at the 48:37 time mark. Thank you Sheriff Brad Wise.

Today the Pension Commission heard  HF 4081 (Stephenson) ;  SF 4092 (Gustafson) : Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) Correctional Plan; Increasing the benefit multiplier from 1.9% to 2.2% for prospective service; increasing employee and employer contributions. There was a very good speech in support by Anoka County Sheriff Wise. There was a letter of support from MNCORA and a letter against from the    A ssociation of Minnesota Counties and  Minnesota Inter-County Association. Ultimately Chair Her had the Bill laid over. We don't know when or if it will be heard again.

I attended the PERA meeting on March 14, 2024. MNCORA's main concern today was the threat of adding dispatchers to our Correctional Plan. MNCORA submitted a letter opposing this.  The PERA Board voted to oppose adding them to our plan. It's interesting that this came up after this was recently proposed and shot down. There was the 911 Telecommunicator Pension Benefits Working Group that was put together by the Senate Legislative Pension Commission that did not support adding Dispatchers to the PERA Correctional Plan. Yet one year later here we are. It's disturbing to see  that Senators   Seeberger    and  Pappas   who are both on the Pension Commission have now AUTHORED SF4958  (companion to HF4796) to add dispatchers to our pension! Ignoring their own study.  Petitions are going out to County Jails and MNCORA encourages you to sign one. They will be sent to the Pension Commission to let them know our displeasure. Adding them endangers o...

 On 3/11/24 the MNCORA Executive Board held an emergency meeting to strategize on opposing Bill HF4796 a bill that would add 911 Telecommunicators to the PERA Correctional Plan and cause harm.

Representatives Dan Wolgamott, Brion Curran and Luke Frederick have authored Bill HF4796 which will add 911 Dispatchers to the PERA Correctional Plan.  Those behind the raid are AFSCME Council 5, LELS and Teamsters Local 320 . They are all ignoring the study the MN Senate paid for in 2022 which did not recommend adding dispatchers to the Correctional plan. To our knowledge none of these Unions have consulted their Correctional Plan members. Adding them could jeopardize the health of the PERA Correctional Plan. Below is the letter MNCORA sent the PERA Board for their hearing on March 14 opposing it. AFSCME, LELS and Teamsters all submitted letters supporting this! Contact Rep. Wolgamott and ask him to withdraw the Bill!   rep.dan.wolgamott@house.mn.gov   ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Mr. Anderson and PERA Trustees: The Minnesota Correctional Officer Retirement Association (MNCORA) opposes the  addition of 911 Dispatch...

There are currently 2 Bills before the Minnesota Legislature that MNCORA is supporting. The first is a MNCORA sponsored Bill to add a PERA Corrections Officer to the PERA Executive Board. It is HF4342 and SF4464 . The second is a Bill to raise the high five multiplier from 1.9% to 2.2% in the PERA Correctional Plan, the same as the State MSRS Correctional Plan. It is HF4081 and SF4092 . We encourage you to contact your State Representatives and Senators to support these bills.

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!

MNCORA is hearing that there is another Bill being drafted to yet again try to add Dispatchers to our PERA Correctional Plan.  There was an attempt last year and there was a Senate 911 Telecommunicator Pension Benefits Working Group that studied the issue and concluded NOT to recommend adding them. MNCORA's President was an advisor to that group and testified against it. LELS and the MPPOA backed the previous effort and we hear rumors that they are behind this one too. We will let you know if that turns out to be true. Interestingly enough and probably unbeknownst to them is that on January 1, 2025 all State and Local Corrections Officers will be recognized by the Federal Government as Public Safety Officers. How can you have two different designations in one pension for disability and taxes once that occurs? MNCORA will fight this tooth and nail. UPDATE: It is LELS  Jim Mortenson,   Executive Director of Law Enforcement Labor Services ( LELS ) ,  has been reaching ...