In mid-March, the Joint Committee on Public Service released two more Association-backed bills. This move brings the total to six separate bills that are have advanced beyond the Committee and are now moving towards passage.

Municipal retirees, who have been seeking a minimum pension law, will be pleased to learn that HB 243 has been released favorably. The bill, filed by Rep. Tom O'Brien (D-Kingston), would create a minimum pension of $10,000 for retirees who have at least twenty-five years of creditable service. This bill is local option and must first be approved by the local legislative body.

Committee Co-Chairmen Rep. Robert Koczera (D-New Bedford) and Senator Steve Tolman (D-Brighton) have also advanced legislation that calls upon the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) to assist the Committee in developing alternative pension funding schedules to pay for a higher COLA base. This bill, which was developed with the support of the Association, is viewed as an addition to a COLA bill released by the Committee in November (SB 1453).

Filed by Senator Guy Glodis (D-Worcester), SB 1453 creates a special study commission, under the direction of the Public Service Committee, which is charged with the task of developing new ways to fund increases in the COLA base. As members know, raising the existing COLA base of $12,000 to a higher level will cost tens of millions of dollars for state and teacher retirees alone.

"We are putting a lot of focus on finding alternative funding methods for the COLA," explains Legislative Chairman Bill Hill. "The current system may be too expensive, but that does not mean that other options may not exist. Thankfully, we have Legislative Leaders willing to take up this issue and work on a solution that will allow us to raise the base, without breaking the bank."

In other developments, SB 1576, which would grant the veterans bonus to disability retirees is under review by the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The bill, filed by Senator Steven Panagiotakos, passed the House last fall. Recent estimates, provided by State Treasurer Tim Cahill, indicate that extending the vets benefit should not prove cost-prohibitive.

Initial estimates place the cost for the 956 veterans who are disabled from state service at $215, 100 in prospective costs. Retroactive payment would cost slightly more in a one-time payment of $3.2 million.