As members know, the Association has fourteen separate bills now pending before the Committee. At press-time, seven of the fourteen had been already granted a public hearing and are now being considered for further action. The Committee has until June 27 to complete the hearing process and take action on the bills.

“Moving through 1,000 bills in less than five months is a tall task. Many of the issues are quite complex and will need a great deal of study before the Committee can release the bill,” says Association Legislative Liaison Shawn Duhamel. “We work closely with the Committee members and their staff to assist them with sorting through the issues that have an impact on retirees. The process is long and takes a lot of work, but the end result is what counts.”

While, so far, few bills have been released from the Committee for passage, the Committee chairmen are actively working on several key issues that impact directly on retirees. Senate Chairman Brian Joyce, along with House Chairman Brian Dempsey meet regularly with Association officials.

Beyond the study now taking place on raising the base for the cost-of-living, the Committee, so far, has shown an interest in allowing for minimum pensions at the local level (HB 336), investigating the cost of raising minimum pensions for survivors (HB 337, HB 338), and allowing remarried survivors to regain their pensions (HB 339).

The Association’s legislative team is now gearing up for a very busy time in both June and July. With the deadline to report bills from the Committee approaching (June 27), the Committee will finish its hearing schedule and take action on many bills throughout the month of June.

As the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees negotiate a final budget for the coming fiscal year, the Legislature will attempt to act on several bills prior to breaking for the summer recess. During this time, both the House and Senate will frequently meet in full formal sessions, with many bills being taken under consideration.

“Since many of our bills require detailed cost analysis, which must be completed prior to action being taken, I’m not sure how far along in the process we will get this summer,” adds Association Legislative Chairman Bill Hill. “We are in the first quarter of a two-year process. These issues are complicated, require pension funding schedule adjustments, and therefore take time to complete.”