It's nearing the end of the legislative session so here's a snapshot of where we are at. First the positive. SF4721/HF4514 has passed the Pension Committee. This Bill lowers PERA Correctional Plan Contributions and Employer Contributions as well as raising the COLA Cap from 2.5% to 3%. Read the summary here   https://www.lcpr.mn.gov/documents/mtgmaterials/2026/2026.04.07/SF4721-HF4514%20Summary.pdf MNCORA submitted written testimony supporting this Bill.  Now for the Bad. Bill HF708/ SF1556 to add a PERA Correctional Officer seat to the PERA Board is stalled.  Last session Senator Cal Bahr sat with MNCORA President Wade Laszlo and introduced the Bill to the Pension Committee. The Bill was heard last session but Pension Committee Chair Senator Nick Frentz laid it over. Meaning no vote was taken to move it out of Committee.  PERA opposed this Bill because it would make the PERA Board even numbered (like the Teachers). We were advised that Amending the Bill to mak...

This morning MNCORA President Wade Laszlo had coffee with Minnesota State Rep. Niska. He will be working with the LCPR to draft language for a Bill adding a CO seat to the PERA Board.  The House isn't in session until February. That being said it is extremely important for everyone to contact their State Representatives and Senators asking them to support that legislation when it happens.

The Minnesota Legislature is still in session and the Delete Everything Amendment part of the Omnibus Bill is in discussion. The MNCORA Board sent the following to the LCPR Chair Senator Rosen today. Senator Rosen, Regarding the “ Delete Everything Bill S3541-H4016 .”   It is the position of the Minnesota Correctional Officer Retirement Association (MNCORA) that if a benefit is being given to the PERA Police and Fire Plan and the MSRS Correctional Plan then parity should be given to the PERA Correctional Plan. P&F and the MSRS Correctional Plan are being offered a 2% reduction in employee contributions in this Bill and no reduction is being offered to the PERA Correctional Plan. We’ve heard it argued that P&F and the MSRS Correctional Plans contribute more to their plans, but they also receive a greater retirement benefit. The high 5 of P&F is 3% and the MSRS Correctional Plan 2.2%. By comparison the high 5 for PERA Correctional is 1.9% and has been since i...

On February 15th the 911 Telecommunicators Pension Benefits Working Group made their presentation to the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement .  MNCORA submitted a letter  into written testimony and MNCORA President Wade Laszlo testified before the Commission on behalf of MNCORA defending the PERA Correctional Pension. Below is the entire presentation MNCORA testimony begins around the 17:53 time mark with another vital point made at the 25:20 mark. This was a hearing only. It is unclear at this point what recommendations if any will come out of this presentation. MNCORA will be monitoring.

The LCPR has posted  Information from Stakeholders  on it's work group site. At this point only one Union bothered to respond to the Working Group's inquiry and that is  LELS ! On first glance it looks like support for adding them, but a close read reveals otherwise. The letter is in favor of enhanced benefits for 911 Dispatchers but NEVER mentions adding them to the PERA Correctional Plan. They then do something very curious. They (LELS) attach 7 testimonial letters allegedly from dispatchers and people in the industry, but there are NO NAMES with the letters! Anyone can write anonymously, even the same person. These letters do support adding 911 Dispatchers to the PERA Correctional Plan. There's also a Workers Comp Claims sheet attached to the LCPR Working Group page.  It shows between 2003 and 2020 Dispatchers had 92 claims and Corrections Officers had 2,610 ! It doesn't show what the claims are for but we all know CO's are subject to assault and disease and dis...

Part 1 will explore how the current threat  to the PERA Correctional Plan began. Who? What? On March 1st 2021 Minnesota State Senator Bigham introduced SF 2198 described as  " 911 telecommunicators transfer from the general employees retirement plan to the local government correctional plan; transferring eligible service credit " This was quickly co-authored by Senators Housley and Pappas and joined by a companion bill in the House HF 2585 authored by Representative Berg. When the PERA Correctional Plan was formed in 1999 the initial  Correctional Officers   did not transfer any service credit from their previous PERA pension and initially had to wait 3 years to be vested! SF 2198 and HF 2585 did not proceed as written, but on May 3rd 2021 Senator Bigham introduced SF 2485 . The Bill description is, " 911 telecommunicator pension benefits working group establishment."  What is this working group studying?  Bill 2485 reads ...