HF 4342  is a reality. This Bill will add a new seat to the PERA Executive Board dedicated to a Correctional Officer. This has been a long time in the works and MNCORA thanks Representative Niska and Scott for Authoring it in the House and LCPR Executive Director Susan Lenczewski for her assistance writing the Bill. We are currently reaching out to Senators for a Senate Companion Author and will keep you posted. Link to the Bill-  https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/text.php?number=HF4342&version=0&session=ls93&session_year=2024&session_number=0 This Bill will benefit all current, past vested and retiree members of the PERA Correctional Plan.

MNCORA's Executive Board met on December 19, 2023 Representative Niska met with LCPR Executive Director Susan Lenczewski that morning to author the Bill to add a seat on the PERA Board for a Correctional Officer. Rep. Niska's legal assistant Mitchel Fischer sent us the following email: Rep. Niska got back to me, and it is confirmed, Susan will be helping him draft a bill for a corrections officer’s spot during the upcoming session. If you are interested in knowing more in-depth details I would suggest reaching out to Niska’s email and I or he can try to set a phone call or something for you to talk to him. Congratulations on getting this bill started rolling! Our next step will be to get a State Senator to sponsor the Bill and once there's a Bill number and for everyone to contact their Representatives and Senators to support it. Thank you Representative Niska and Susan Lenczewski

There are currently 2 open seats on the PERA Board. MNCORA encourages our members to apply. The first is the  ELECTED GENERAL MEMBERSHIP REPRESENTATIVE. This spot was vacated by Trustee Rupp and is an elected spot open to any PERA member working in the General Group, Police and Fire and CORRECTIONAL PLAN . This is a member elected position. The second opening is the  APPOINTED RETIRED ANNUITANT REPRESENTATIVE. This is a Governor appointment. To apply click here:  https://mnpera.org/news/2024-board-candidates/ We are still working to secure a dedicated seat for a PERA Correctional Plan member on the Board.

Once again there's a group who thinks that the money we've paid into our pensions is their pot of gold. It's bad enough there's pressure at the State Board of Investors (SBI) to invest using ESG standards , now there's pressure from protest groups to pull some of our investments, not for fiduciary reasons, but political. On November 30th Alpha News reported, " A few dozen Twin Cities-based leftist activists involved in an ongoing anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement called for the Minnesota State Board of Investment —  whose members  include Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison — to pull the state government’s investments out of businesses associated with the Israel-Hamas war Wednesday." The SBI's job is to invest our money wisely for maximum return. The standard of living of Retirees already shrinks yearly as the rate of inflation outpaces our annual COLA's. We don't need further reductions due to poor inve...

  MNCORA Executive Board meeting Agenda 1.PERA Declines CO seat on PERA Board 2, Meeting with MN State Representative Harry Niska 3. MNDDA Lawsuit and PERA Closed meeting scheduled for November 9th

As many of you know MNCORA opposed HF1234 and testified against it at the Capital last year. The MNDDA launched a lawsuit against it. MNCORA supports this lawsuit and has a link to donate to support it on our website. Here's the link again:  https://mndda.org/2023/06/04/donate-towards-the-hf1234-lawsuit/ On November 9th PERA is holding a closed door meeting discussing this lawsuit. To keep up to date go to  https://mndda.org/

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.