40% of Bureau of Prisons staff said they were sexually assaulted or harassed last year

Fox News is reporting that "40% of Bureau of Prisons staff said they were sexually assaulted or harassed last year"

There's now a Bill introduced to respond to that.

The Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act

"It is unacceptable that nearly half of Bureau of Prisons staff experience sexual harassment or assault by inmates. The Bureau of Prisons must do more to ensure the safety of corrections officers and to hold perpetrators accountable," said Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., who co-sponsored a new bill to fight it. "The Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act  will provide oversight to the federal prison system and fight these abuses."

In the Senate the Bill Number is S.5062

In the House it's Bill H.R. 10160

MNCORA supports this Bill and urges our members to contact their Senators and Representatives.

It's this level of danger that separates out pension from others.

Contact Senator Amy Klobuchar here

Contact Senator Tina Smith here

Find your House Representative here

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

MAPE and Teamsters gearing up for pension raid?

Currently there's an MSRS Correctional Plan Eligibility Work Group looking at who and should and should not be in the MSRS (State) Correctional Plan. The recommendations are due to the LCPR by January 10, 2025. As always there's a letter citing MAPE and Teamsters desire to add Probation Officers to both the MSRS and PERA Correctional Plans . Because why wouldn't they try this again out of our sight? Last year of course there was the Bill to add Dispatch to our Correctional Plan, and Rep. Wolgamott (the author) stated the issue was not dead. We fully expect another attempt this year. The last line of MAPE's letter says it all: This upcoming session will be challenging with possibly probation and dispatch both making a run at our pension. MNCORA will be watching. We plan to again submit a Bill to add a CO to the PERA Board (Something State CO's have). Last year Representative Niska authored it, but the LCPR declined to give it a hearing. This session Rep. Niska w...

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