June ‘do-or-die’ time for key state legislation

Members and retirees who contributed to their state pensions for more than 10 years, before the 10-year limit on such contributions was established, feel they deserve something to compensate for those extra years of contributions. Bill A.7128/S.4554, would give them extra service credit.

Another bill would allow members of Tiers 2, 3 and 4 to retire with no reduction in their pension benefits after they have reached age 55 and have at least 25 years of service.
Currently, these members face the loss of up to 27 percent of their pension benefit if they retire before age 62 and have less than 30 years of service.

PEF also supports bills to address other tier inequities, service credit issues and special retirement issues faced by members working in certain high risk jobs.

Among other important pension bills PEF supports are those addressing such issues as: improving pension adjustments for inflation; and raising the maximum amount of money retired public employees can earn without suffering pension reductions.

PEF is monitoring hundreds of bills and has taken positions on many of them. For a complete list of this legislation, the status of each bill and PEF’s position on it, go online to www.pef.org, select Political Action, then select Bills PEF Supports or Opposes for 2007/2008. The nursing and pension bills are also available on separate lists.

By SHERRY HALBROOK
With the state Legislature scheduled to adjourn its 2008 session June 23, PEF is turning up the heat on lawmakers to pass bills important to PEF members.

While the union has an interest in a great many bills, several would have an “overarching” effect on many PEF members and retirees, according to PEF Legislative Director and Counsel Brian Curran.

Nursing
When it comes to the bill to restrict mandatory overtime for nurses, key legislators will hear from nurses first-hand June 10, when busloads of PEF members will join nurses from other unions to rally in Albany on the Capitol steps. They will then sit down with their lawmakers to discuss this issue that affects patients as well as professionals.

If you can’t attend the rally, call or write your state Assembly and Senate members and tell them to vote for bill A.1898B/S.6342.

“Last year, the Assembly passed this bill. This year, we need both the Assembly and the Senate to pass it,” Curran said.

Go Public
Another high-priority bill for PEF members that has come very close, only to stumble at the finish line is the final piece of Go Public legislation: Cost Benefit Analysis. This bill, A.7092/S.4561, would require state agencies to find out and consider whether it would be less expensive to have state employees do a job before deciding to hand it off to private contractors.

This legislation passed both the Assembly and Senate in 2006, but was vetoed by Gov. George Pataki. Last year, when Eliot Spitzer became governor, he said he supported the concept and asked PEF to work with his staff to analyze the issue. When Spitzer suddenly resigned this March, progress on the issue was temporarily set back to “square one.”

In May, PEF held a press conference, and President Ken Brynien also wrote to Gov. David Paterson, pointing out the state could save an estimated $765 million annually by requiring state agencies to make the public vs. private cost comparison, instead of routinely hiring private contractors to do state work. (See related article)

Paterson has shown an interest in working with PEF on this issue.

Retirement
A bill that could benefit PEF members when they retire is the Retiree Health Bill. This bill, S.6457-A/A.9393-A, would protect existing health benefits for retired public employees for a year, to allow the appointment of a state task force to review the issue of retiree health benefits and make recommendations about them. A similar bill was passed last year, but was vetoed. The new legislation aims to address the concerns raised by Gov. Spitzer in his veto message.

Approximately 20 of the pending pension-related bills are supported by PEF.
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