MNCORA has been very vocal in it's opposition to HF1234 a Bill that started out as a Bill to provide treatment for Police PTSD, then morphed into a bill rewriting PERA Disability for all pensions with many possible negative consequences moving forward for the Correctional Plan. A vote for HF 1234 was a vote weakening PERA disability benefits!  Those who voted in the affirmative were: Acomb Agbaje Anderson, P. E. Anderson, P. H. Backer Bahner Bakeberg Baker Becker-Finn Berg Bierman Brand Carroll Cha Clardy Coulter Curran Davids Demuth Dotseth Edelson Elkins Feist Finke Fischer Frazier Frederick Freiberg Gomez Greenman Hansen, R. Hanson, J. Hassan Hemmingsen-Jaeger Her Hicks Hill Hollins Hornstein Hortman Howard Huot Hussein Jordan Keeler Klevorn Koegel Kotyza-Witthuhn Kozlowski Koznick Kraft Lee, F. Lee, K. Liebling Lillie Lislegard Long Moller Mueller Myers Nadeau Nelson, M. Newton Noor Norris Novotny Olson, L. O'Neill Pelowski Pérez-Vega Pinto Pryor Pursell Rehm Richardson Sen...

  By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Correctional officers have the difficult and often dangerous assignment of ensuring the custody, safety and well-being of the over 600,000 inmates in our Nation’s prisons and jails. Their position is essential to the day-to-day operations of these institutions; without them it would be impossible to achieve the foremost institutional goals of security and control.   Historically, correctional officers have been viewed as “guards,” occupying isolated and misunderstood positions in prisons and jails. In recent years, the duties of these officers have become increasingly complex and demanding. They are called upon to fill, simultaneously, custodial, supervisory and counseling roles. The professionalism, dedication and courage exhibited by these officers throughout the performance of these demanding and often conflicting roles deserve our utmost respect. The important work of correctional Officers often does ...

  SF 1959 has now been amended to include what MNCORA is against in HF 1234! https://www.senate.mn/journals/2023-2024/20230425056.pdf#page=3 MNCORA is now opposed to both HF1234 and SF 1959. SF 1959 had been a clean bill only referring to Police and Fire PTSD and treatment. Now the other PERA Plans are lumped in including the PERA Local Correctional Plan changing our disability retirements!

MNCORA supports SF 1959 as currently written. We opposed its companion Bill HF 1234 because it adds in the PERA Local Government Corrections Plan and fundamentally changes our disability retirement. SF 1959 is being heard by the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee on Monday April 24th. MNCORA added a letter of support. It is a clean PTSD bill that does not affect the PERA Corrections Plan like HF 1234 does.  Read our letter here:  https://www.senate.mn/committees/2023-2024/3128_Committee_on_Judiciary_and_Public_Safety/SF%201959%20Support%20Judiciary.pdf Read all letters regarding the Bill below. (updated 4/23/23) SF 1959 Support Judiciary (PDF) City of Maple Grove PTSD Duty Disability (PDF) AMC_MICA SF 1959 Letter (PDF) 4.21.2023 Joint city letter of support for SF 1959 (PDF) S.F.1959-Jaffe-Alex-Con-4-24-23-pdf (PDF) Blackstock PDF statement (PDF) Concerned Minnesotan -- Testimony In Favor of SF 2810 (PDF) SF1959 A1 amendment (PDF) S1959-DE1_Summary (PDF)

 MNCORA's Executive Board is meeting April 21, 2023. This is the Agenda- MNCORA Executive Board Agenda April 21, 2023   1. Status of HF 1234/ SF 1959 2. CO seat on PERA Board 3. PERA and LCPR interim discussions

HF 1234 which poses a threat to PERA Correctional Plan members moves on to the House Ways and Means Committee on April 24th.  MNCORA has written the Committee opposing this bill! You can contact them here-  https://www.house.mn.gov/Committees/members/93028

MNCORA has opposed HF 1234 (see previous posts in this blog). HF 1234 and SF 1959 started out as Bills related to the Police and Fire pensions high PTSD rates. They were designed originally to provide treatment first before putting an officer out on a PTSD disability retirement. Then HF 1234 expanded the changes to include all PERA pensions, including the PERA Correctional plan. The expansion changed the disability retirement in the other plans but only provides treatment for Police and Fire. This is a link to PERA's explanation on how it will work. https://mnpera.org/legislation/ MNCORA had many questions on how the changes would affect PERA Correctional Officers on disability retirement. Important note there was a change in statute in July of 2015 in how long one could be on a disability retirement. Prior to 2015 it was until age 65, after that 55 and then one switched to a regular retirement. The following is MNCORA's exchange with PERA and their responses. MNCORA questions...