Latest news with #HB78
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alaska House votes to revive pension plan for state and municipal workers
Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, talks with Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, during a break in debate over House Bill 78, the pension bill, on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) Almost 20 years after eliminating Alaska's public pension program, the House of Representatives has voted to open a new pension system for municipal and state workers. With proponents saying the state's existing, 401(k)-like retirement system is ineffective and a deterrent for hiring and retention, the House voted 21-19 late Monday to approve House Bill 78. If enacted, it would create a new pension plan and allow current employees to opt into the program. The bill would cover Alaska's state employees as well as all of the teachers employed by local school districts and thousands of municipal workers employed by cities and boroughs across Alaska. The bill's opponents cited potential costs and said they fear a repeat of the state's prior pension system, which accrued a multibillion-dollar shortfall after a failed estimate by actuaries. Monday's vote is a significant accomplishment for pension supporters: This is the first time since the old program ended in 2006 that the House has voted to restart a public pension for all state and municipal workers. The state Senate voted in 2012 and 2024 to revive a pension program for all employees, and the House voted in 2022 to create a pension just for public safety workers, but none of those bills became law. This time may be different. Prominent members of the state Senate have said they intend to advance a pension bill next year, which would put the issue in front of Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who has previously opposed the idea. House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage, said the bill is a major priority, even if the governor vetoes it. 'The constituents who sent us here to Juneau need to see us trying, with all our might, to fix the threadbare fabric of our public services in a way that is fiscally sustainable,' he said by text message after Monday's vote. 'Every time the bill is presented, heard, and argued, the fiscal responsibility and justice of our cause shines like the noonday sun. Alaska will soon have a responsible pension plan; I don't know what day or year, but it will have one again and we will be a competitive employer again.' HB 78 would create a new pension investment fund separate from the existing one. Unlike in the current system, employees would be guaranteed a certain level of retirement pay, regardless of stock market performance. They also wouldn't increase those benefits if they leave their public sector job, unlike the current system, in which benefits grow as the investments grow. Current employees would be allowed to switch from their 401(k)-style retirement system to the new system. Retirement would be possible at age 60, or with 30 years of service. Police officers and firefighters would be allowed to retire at age 55, with at least 20 years of work, or at age 50 if they've worked at least 25 years. Employees would be asked to contribute 8% of their pay to the pension plan, but that would be adjustable, up to 12% of income, if needed to avoid a funding gap. Health insurance benefits, a major contributor to the cost of the old pension system, are not included. Pensions would be based on the highest five years of an employee's salary, rather than the highest three years, as was the case under the old system. Proponents have billed the pension revival as a way to fight employee turnover and alleviate a chronic worker shortage at state agencies. Since 2006, when the pension program ended for new employees, research has found that new state and municipal workers in Alaska are now much less likely to remain in the state and frequently earn less money toward retirement under the defined contribution, or DC, plans than employees who receive pensions. 'In the world of teaching, if you're a Tier 3 teacher, which is the DC plan, it's called the death tier,' said Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, I-Sitka and a former teacher. 'You're going to teach until the day you die. That's because studies have shown that a teacher in Tier 3 has a 30% chance of success in retirement. It's not working for our Tier 3 teachers.' Rep. Donna Mears, D-Anchorage, said her son was born in July 2006, the same month that the state stopped offering pensions. He's now preparing to graduate high school, and in the intervening years, she's had a career as an engineer. 'In that time, I've seen a decline in the longevity and expertise of regulators,' she said. Kopp, speaking on the House floor, said that because the state's retirement system has failed to meet employee demand, the state is now paying more than it should in pay and bonuses. 'This is the cost of doing nothing. It is huge. We are burning bonfires of money,' he said. Proponents also argue that the state is spending much more than it needs to on training, because it won't have to repeatedly retrain new employees. 'The fundamental question to me is are we going to create an environment where people can stay in Alaska or move to Alaska … and stay for a lifetime,' said Rep. Ky Holland, I-Anchorage. Those who voted against the bill on Monday said they are concerned about the accuracy of cost projections and doubt that the bill will deliver on backers' promises. 'You can say it's a more modern version (of a pension). Perhaps it is, but it feels like it is still an unaffordable model,' said Rep. Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla. Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, noted that actuaries failed to accurately track prior costs. 'We are asking them to trust the actuarials. How did that work out last time?' he said. Kopp responded by saying that this time, the pension system will rely on three independently operating actuarial estimates, not one potential point of failure. Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, said the bill offers a chance to stop the 'everlasting hamster wheel' of employee training and will be a big morale booster for public employees. 'This is a vote of hope that we can do better,' he said. Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, wasn't convinced. 'There's a lot in this bill that we don't understand, and we don't really have a grasp on how much it's going to cost us, and we are literally — to quote another member — making a vote of hope. Oh, that doesn't give me a lot of confidence. I hope that it does work out well, but if it does not work out well, what is plan B?' House Bill 78 advances to the Senate, which is expected to take up the measure when the Legislature reconvenes in January 2026. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Strafford County commission residency 'fix' bill closer to reality
Mar. 18—The New Hampshire Legislature has only a few steps left to fix a mistake lawmakers made in 2023 to allow someone to serve as a Strafford County commissioner without living in the right district. After a brief hearing, the Senate Election Laws and Municipal Affairs Committee voted unanimously to endorse legislation (HB 78) that the House of Representatives approved on a voice vote last month. In June 2023, House Speaker Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry, broke a tie vote to pass legislation (HB 75) for the three Strafford County commissioners to run in separate election districts. Until that point, the county was the only one of 10 in the state that had its commissioners all run at large. But due to a drafting mistake, the legislation didn't at the same time strike a 1979 law that to this day states Strafford County commissioners can live in any community in the county. The county's third district consists of two wards in Dover, two in Rochester and the towns of Strafford and Lee. During the 2024 election, Republican nominee Sean Leavitt lived in a Dover ward in another commissioner's district and Democratic incumbent Deanna Rollo lived in Rollinsford, also in the wrong district. Leavitt unseated Rollo after defeating former state Rep. Cliff Newton in the primary. Newton lived in a Rochester ward in that third district. Moving out of district would require resignation State Rep. Len Turcotte, R-Barrington, the bill's prime sponsor, said, if adopted, that starting with the 2026 election this would require the District 3 commissioner live in that district whether it's Leavitt or Rollo who wins. The House amended the bill to ensure if any county commissioner across the state moves out of his or her district while in office, that incumbent would have to resign, he said. "You have to remain there permanently while you are an elected official in that county. It's the same thing as a state rep or a state senator," Turcotte said. Former Rockingham County Commissioner Brian Chirichiello of Derry lobbied for that change. He pointed to former Commissioner Kevin Coyle, who moved from Derry to Portsmouth in 2019, but then stayed in the seat because the law stated the district residency requirement only applied "at the time" of election. Rep. Tim Horrigan, D-Durham, didn't oppose the concept but urged the Senate to clean up the language. "At a minimum come up with different verbiage," Horrigan said. But Sen. James Gray, R-Rochester and the Senate panel's chairman, wanted the Senate to pass the bill as is so it could quickly go to Gov. Kelly Ayotte to resolve this issue. "This is not the language I would pick but it is efficient and I would like to see it move right along," Gray said. What's Next: The full Senate will vote on the bill in the coming weeks. Prospects: Nothing is a guarantee in Concord but this one looks to be on the fast track to the governor's desk. klandrigan@
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NC Democratic lawmakers introduce bills to protect immigrants in sensitive locales
Rep. Renee Price (D-Caswell, Orange) speaks about HB 78 at a Legislative Building press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 25. (Photo: Ahmed Jallow/NC Newsline) North Carolina Democratic lawmakers have introduced two bills to restrict local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration authorities in schools, hospitals, workplaces and religious places. House Bill 78, sponsored by Rep. Renee Price (D-Caswell, Orange), would prohibit law enforcement from participating in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions in places of worship, schools and hospitals. A companion bill, House Bill 80 from Rep. Deb Butler (D-New Hanover), would extend those restrictions to farms and construction sites. The proposals come in the wake of a federal policy change that revoked protections for 'sensitive locations' such as schools from immigration raids, a shift that has caused anxiety in immigrant communities. 'Subjecting people with no criminal record to disruptive and traumatic enforcement actions in places of worship, hospitals or schools is unconscionable,' Price said at a press conference Tuesday morning. Butler and advocates tied the bills to economic stability, noting that an estimated 35% of North Carolina's construction workers are undocumented. Mario Alfaro, policy manager at Latino rights group El Pueblo, said construction has the state's highest number and percentage of undocumented workers. 'We support HB78 and HB80 because they open the space to discuss an issue that many politicians want to ignore or hide: that North Carolina's economy needs immigrant workers,' said Alfaro. Legislative sponsors of the bills argue that requiring local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration enforcement has created unnecessary fear and disruption in immigrant communities, hurting workers, businesses, and entire communities. 'When law enforcement is used as an extension of ICE, it discourages workers from showing up, reporting unsafe conditions, or even engaging with their own communities,' Butler said. HB 78 would amend state law to block police and sheriffs' offices from aiding ICE in apprehending individuals or serving removal warrants in protected spaces. HB 80 specifically bars such collaboration at worksites. Yesenia Cuello of NC FIELD, an advocacy group, said the measures would preserve public safety and labor forces: 'The reality is North Carolina cannot afford to create a climate of fear, especially in places where we work, pray and learn,' Cuello said. 'When communities don't feel safe engaging with law enforcement, public safety suffers and crime rates skyrocket. This bill keeps our workforce strong, our economy stable, and our communities whole.' The bills are not expected to move forward, as Republicans control both the House and Senate in the legislature. In contrast, Senate Bill 153 introduced Monday and cosponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger would require state and local agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and prohibit University of North Carolina institutions from becoming 'sanctuary universities.'
