Final Pension Bill status

Source LCPR

Another session draws to a close. Important to MNCORA is that the COLA cap will raise from 2.5 to 2.3% and employee and employer contributions will lower.

Also Probation and 911 Dispatchers will get their own pension, which means attempts to fold them into our pension are done.

Sadly once again our attempt to get a seat on PERA's Board died in the LCPR Committee. Because the session is over it will have to begin from scratch with the new legislature.

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...

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 defi...

2025 Pension Wrap Up

https://www.lcpr.mn.gov/index.htm Here's a brief summary of the 2025 Pension Omnibus Bill . *PERA General plan- COLA increase from 1.5-1.75% Max *PERA Police and Fire plan- one time COLA of 3% then back down to 1% annual COLA plus major changes to Disability see ARTICLE 15 DUTY DISABILITY BENEFITS AND CONTINUATION OF HEALTH COVERAGE FOR PEACE OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2025/0/Session+Law/Chapter/37/ *Another Work Group for Dispatch and 911 Telecommunicators ARTICLE 17 WORK GROUP ON PENSION PLANS FOR PROBATION OFFICERS AND 911 TELECOMMUNICATORS Section 1. WORK GROUP ON CREATING PENSION PLANS FOR PROBATION OFFICERS AND 911 TELECOMMUNICATORS. $80 million was allocated to pensions this session. The Teachers Pension and Police and Fire received the lions share. MNCORA had one request this session, a seat on the PERA Board. SF1556 / HF708 . The Bill was laid over and we can take it up again next session. THIS BILL WOULD HAVE ...

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