Legislative Session Ends, Many Bills of Interest Remain 

The first session of the 25th Alaska Legislature adjourned late on Wednesday, May 16. The legislature reflected a more bipartisan appearance than in past years, as new Democratic candidates made gains in last year's general election. In the Senate, the Republican majority lost control of the chamber to the new Senate Bipartisan Working Group, a coalition majority led by Sen. Lyda Green (R-Wasilla).

The effort to build bridges with Democrats may have come at a good time for some Republicans, as several former and current Republican legislators have been the target of FBI scrutiny and, recently, federal indictments.

Bills that have been watched closely by ASEA/AFSCME Local 52 during the session fall into one of three categories: bills relating to retirement and the PERS/TERS unfunded liability; bills relating to changes affecting the classifications of ASEA members; and bills relating to budgets and appropriations.

House Bill 13 (Issue Bonds to Control Unfunded PERS/TRS Liability) and HB 48 (PPT Credits to Offset Unfunded PERS/TRS Liability) would have provided some financing mechanisms to relieve the unfunded defined benefit retirement system liability. Both bills wait for a hearing and committee action by the Senate Finance Committee.

Senate Finance did advance SB 125 (Cost Share Plan for PERS/TRS Unfunded Liability), submitted by the governor, which normalizes the obligations of employers and increases the state's obligation for the unfunded retirement liability. This bill has passed both chambers and waits for concurrence.

Three bills had language directly affecting the service or classification of GGU members. HB 164 (Modify Ocean Ranger Program) dealt with the status of state employees who would fulfill the intent of Ballot Measure No. 2, passed by the voters in November 2006. This bill failed on the House floor.

HB 209 (Regulatory Commission of Alaska) originally threatened to remove GGU members in the RCA from classified service into partially exempt service. This provision was removed from the legislation at the request of ASEA before the bill passed both chambers.

SB 153 (Military Time toward 20-year Retirement) would allow peace officers and firefighters to use up to five years of credited military time to qualify for retirement benefits. This bill recently gained a co-sponsor and waits for action in its first committee of referral.

In addition to budget and appropriation bills containing language that fund contracts and telegraph administrative reallocations, ASEA is following HB 125 (Long-Range Fiscal Plan). This legislation would require the governor to balance the state budget and to submit a long-range fiscal plan supported by analysis of fiscal data for the succeeding 10 years.

HB 125 would effectively prevent the state from allowing operating shortfalls cause the interruption of state services. HB 125 passed the House without opposition and waits for a hearing and committee action by the Senate Finance Committee.

The bills discussed above are a fraction of the legislation reviewed by the ASEA Political Action Committee. To see all the bills supported, opposed and monitored by the PAC, visit the bill tracking tool on the PAC website at www.afscmelocal52.org/pac.