WFSE/AFSCME blasts bill to roll-back early retirement break for new hires; Enterprise bill receives a hearing

The Federation on Monday (Feb. 7) opposed the governor’s bill to reinstate the penalties for earlier retirement for those in PERS 2 and 3 hired after July 1, 2011. 

Those actuarial reductions were part of the compromise that created the hybrid PERS 3 system some 15 years ago, Federation Executive Director Greg Devereux told the House Ways and Means Committee during a hearing on HB 1742.

Devereux said that during the 2003-2006 sessions, the Legislature “had plenty of money to…fund the pension plans.”

“At the same time, the Legislature let 154 tax exemptions through, totaling $3 billion,” he added. “So we very well could have financed it at the time. I would suggest we look for another way to finance this rather than taking the best of a compromise proposal (PERS 3).”

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ALSO:  Federation Lobbyist Alia Griffing registered the union’s concerns in the House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee Monday about HB 1720, the bill creating a Department of Enterprise Services and doing away with General Administration, Personnel and parts of other agencies.