ASEA/AFSCME Local 52 Breaktime Reading
Apr. 21, 2005
Legislative Alert--SB141
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NOTICE:
As passed the Senate, SB141 proposes radical changes for state employees:
1) It allows the PERS retirement system administrator to increase employee contribution rates by 1/2% per year (currently 6.75%) until employee contributions fund one-half of the benefits expected to be earned by active members. However, we are very concerned that the House Finance committee will add back the requirement for an increased employee contribution;
2) For new employees, it replaces the current defined benefit retirement system (PERS) with a new defined contribution plan that does not ensure any particular level of retirement benefit.
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The House Finance Committee will hear this bill on Saturday, April 23, and will accept testimony between 1-3 p.m. Please take the time to testify on SB141--this is your opportunity to personally contact members of that committee and express your feelings about higher costs and fewer benefits for state employees.
HEARING: (H) FIN Apr 23 10:00 AM HOUSE FINANCE 519 <Pending Referral> TELECONFERENCE
Please CALL, WRITE, or EMAIL your representive on the House Finance Committee to encourage that body to NOT schedule, NOT hear, and NOT pass SB 141.
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE:
Co-Chair: Mike Chenault (R)-Nikiski
Co-Chair: Kevin Meyer (R)-Anchorage
Vice-Chair: Rep. Bill Stoltze (R)-Chugiak/Matsu
Rep. Richard Foster (D)-Nome
Rep. Mike Hawker(R)-Anchorage
Rep. Jim Holm (R)-Fairbanks
Rep. Michael "Mike" Kelly (R)-Fairbanks
Rep. Bruce Weyhrauch (R)-Juneau
Rep. Eric Croft (D)-Anchorage
Rep. Reggie Joule(D)-Kotzebue
Rep. Carl Moses (D)-Unalaska
Send a Public Opinion Message to a legislator.
http://www.afscmelocal52.org/pac/pom/sb141
If you cannot testify at a hearing in person, please contact your local or regional Legislative Information Office (LIO) and arrange to testify by phone.
http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/legaff/liolist.htm
Visit the House Finance Committee page for information on its members.
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_com_info.asp?comm=HFIN&session=24
Check the current status of SB 141 from the ASEA Political Action Committee (PAC) pages.
http://www.afscmelocal52.org/pac/sb141
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DESCRIPTION:
As passed the Senate, SB141 allows the PERS retirement system administrator to increase employee contribution rates current for state employees by up to 1/2% per year (currently 6.75%) until employee contributions fund one-half of the benefits expected to be earned by active members.
In addition to directly affecting current employees like you, SB 141 discards the retirement benefits for new public employees that encouraged many of you to make a career of state service. Under this bill, retirement benefits for new state employees are drastically reduced by substituting an inferior defined contribution plan that does not ensure any particular level of retirement benefit.
Medical retirement benefits for new state employees are also under attack. Only those who retire directly from the system will receive coverage under the plan. This "take it or leave it" approach to medical benefits decreases the appeal of state service to young professionals.
ASEA/AFSCME Local 52 STRONGLY OPPOSES SB141.
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A printable version of this Legislative Alert is available for posting.
http://www.afscmelocal52.org/aseadocs/[final]leg-alert_sb141.pdf
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Contact ASEA Information Officer Reber Stein 
at 463-4949 or (800) 478-0049 toll free for more information.
