WE NEED YOUR HELP

Elaine spoke at today's luncheon regarding the fact that we are closer today than we have been in seven years to some degree of legislative relief regarding a restoration of both our COLA and Medical Benefits package.

Finally, a slit of light casting the possibility of some potentially Good News this year? Maybe so, but to convert that possibility to something substantial we must make sure the legislators KNOW our issues, they need to hear from US.

A lack of contact will be perceived as a lack of concern, and lack of concern puts our issues right back where they have been the last seven years: in the ashcan.

With some of our older members living near the poverty level, and for some of the younger ones, where the future can be terrifying, we cannot allow this.

Please find the legislators email and FB page contacts in the left margin of this webpage.  Click the name, up comes your emailer, compose your note, click SEND.

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The following information was provided by Peter Diedrick, Legislative Director, WSSRA, on January 15th -

The first week of the 2018 Legislative Session is complete. It was a mixed bag.

The good news. There is widespread bipartisan support for restoring the Plan 1 COLA and Retiree Medical Benefits that were eliminated in 2011. Currently, there are eight Plan 1 COLA bills active in the legislature. We expect two more to drop next week. The list of bills are:

• House Bill 1484 & Senate Bill 5556 (2017 Legislative Session), $2 per year of service credit.
• House Bill 2323 & Senate Bill 6290, 3% increase on all PERS 1 & TRS 1 pensions.
• House Bill 2452 & Senate Bill 6305, 3% increase on the first $25,000 in pension income for PERS 1 & TRS 1 retirees. Increases the Medical Benefit to at least 50% of the monthly premium.
• House Bill 2511 & Senate Bill 6340 by request of the Select Committee on Pension Policy, 3% increase on the first $25,000 in pension income for PERS 1 & TRS 1 retirees.
• Several bill drafts are circulating for a full restoration of the Plan 1 UCOLA.

We are working with legislators and other advocacy groups to coordinate this legislation and coalesce around a single bill. Currently, the strategy is to advocate for HB 2452 & SB 6305 (the red paragraph), with HB 5211 & SB 6340 as the fallback position (the blue paragraph).

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