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| L: Susan Webber (Prosser), Peter Bixby, Leona Hassig, Jerome Delvin, Don Parks, Hollis Morris, Jim Bumgarner, Elainie Banks, Larry Haler, AJ Foster, Jim Foster, Vicki Juzeler (Prosser). |
A number of BFSRA Board members plus two WSSRA members from Prosser met November 10th, Rep. Larry Haler and Senator Jerome Delvin. Rep. Brad Klippert cancelled at the last minute.
A wide variety of issues concerning retirement and the pension systems were discussed. Legislators will be in committee sessions at the end of November and hope to have main budget issues hashed out before the January 2012 session starts. If concepts have not been agreed upon, 2012 will be a "very long session."
Our pensions are pretty well protected, but benefits, i.e. Medicare Subsidy and COLA fit into the "discretionary category" and anything could happen there. Larry and Jerome are quite aware of our position on these matters and agreed to give us help but asked to be kept informed on our issues.
Two of our objectives are to get our COLA and Medicare Subsidy amount reinstated when financial times improve. It appears many Legislators in Olympia need an education on the $$$ amount of pension TRS 1 retirees receive, i.e. some legislators look at current pay schedules, take 60% of that amount, and think "these retirees are rich people."
This is an educational challenge all of our members throughout the state must meet.
It will require many emails to our legislators as well as others not in our districts. They don't realize our pensions are based on salaries from 10, 20, 30 and 40 years ago!! Our retirees will have to email them with our specific pension amounts minus "pullouts" so they can see how much our "actual take home pension" is.
We must also remind them that our "cost of living" rises every day along with the general public's, and we don't get special "Lowered Prices" just because we are retired. We pay the same bills as the rest of society.
We feel our 8th and 16th legislators understand our positions and will be helpful to us, but we must "keep them informed" of our issues and needs. It will be a tough 2012 session between "cuts", "revenues" and the $2 Billion deficit.
As your Legislative Committee, we will do our best to keep you informed, but each of us will have to keep legislators "informed."
STAY TUNED!! and be ready to help when bulletins come your way.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Your legislative committee:
AJ, Elaine and Jim
