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Confusion at today's PERA meeting

 I attended the PERA Board meeting remotely today (3/13/25). As all of you know there's lots of pieces at play in the PERA pension plans. There have been in the recent past attempts by 911 Dispatchers and Probation to be merged into the PERA Correctional Plan which MNCORA has vehemently opposed.

The positive note from todays meeting is that the current discussion is centered around improved pensions (earlier retirement) for probation and dispatch without talk of adding them to the Correctional Plan. 

The sad part is the apparent confusion among PERA Board members as to the difference between Essential Employees and Public Safety Employees. Some were using the terms interchangeably which could lead to future problems. 

While Police, Fire, Corrections, Probation and 911 Dispatch are all essential employees https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/179A.03.

Only Police, Fire and Correctional Officers are Public Safety! The Secure Act 2.0 spells out changes to the definition of Public Safety Offer effective July 1, 2025. 

"any employee of a State or political subdivision of a State who provides police protection, firefighting services, emergency medical services, or services as a corrections officer or as a forensic security employee providing for the care, custody, and control of forensic patients for any area within the jurisdiction of such State or political subdivision,"

See also the notice on the PERA website:

"The Secure 2.0 Act of 2022 now includes correctional officers in the federal definition of public safety employees. Review your employee benefits for other impacts with this law change."

Essential Employee means you do not have the right to strike, but are entitled to binding arbitration.

Public Safety is just that, Public Safety with a whole range of Federal tax, retirement and disability benefits not afforded to other job classes. To mix essential with Public Safety in one plan would mean disparate retirement time lines, tax deductions and disability benefits.  

Some of the PERA Board need a refresher in definitions.

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