Optional Retirement Plan Legislation

Submitted by Alisa Brewer on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 1:57pm.
Email date: 
09/26/2011
Description: 
Contact your Senator & your Representative this week to support S. 1912

 

As many of you know, MSP and MTA have been pursuing legislation that would give members of the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) a voluntary one-time opportunity to transfer out of the ORP into the State Employee Retirement System (SERS) (at a buy-back cost).  MSP members Myrna Cronen and Cynthia Baldwin have been very involved in this effort and have developed a large mailing list of interested MSP members.  If you would like to be kept informed of developments, please write to Cynthia at cbaldwin@vasci.umass.edu .  You can see the actual legislation at http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/Senate/S01912.

Here is some timely information.

ORP Hearing and Lobby Day: October 4 at the State House

The Joint Committee on Public Service will hear S. 1912, on October 4, 2011, between 1 and 4 pm in State House Room A-2. Panels representing faculty from all the sectors of public higher education will provide supporting testimony. With MTA support, the ORP Ad Hoc Committee has reserved Room 437, from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm, for lobbying activities. Morning beverages will be available for those who plan to lobby before the hearing, and lobbying materials will be distributed. Lunch will be served to those who register their attendance in advance, and a short luncheon speaking program will begin at noon, with invited guests from the legislature and MTA leadership.  Please RSVP if you are interested in attending and/or testifying.

Contact your Senator and your Representative this week:  Ask them to support S. 1912.  This bill will provide ORP faculty with an opportunity for an informed choice about state employee retirement options and an opportunity to transfer to the State Employees Retirement System if they so choose. If you are an ORP faculty, be sure to communicate your personal ORP story by email or on the phone with the legislator or office staff when you have that opportunity. See the attached talking points for further information. If you would like a document that lists the multiple orientation problems that many faculty faced, please contact me.
  • Ask Senators who support this bill to contact the Senate Chair of the Public Service Committee, Katherine Clark, to indicate they want S. 1912 moved out of this committee with a favorable recommendation.
  • Ask Representatives who support this bill to contact the House Chair of the Public Service Committee, John Scibak, to indicate they want S. 1912 moved out of this committee with a favorable recommendation.
  • Contact information:

Thank the following legislators, especially if they are yours, but also if this bill is important to you:

 
  • For leading the fight on the Senate floor and behind the scenes to include the ORP amendment in the Senate pension bill:
 
 

NOTE: In talking with Senators on the ORP bill, if any of them are among those who supported the MTA and other unions by voting against the pension bill because of its negative effect on future employees, please thank them:

  • "Sens. DiDomenico, Donnelly, Eldrige, Fargo, Jehlen, Keenan, McGee, Timilty, Tolman, and Wolf voted against the bill. Sen. Pacheco was unable to attend but able to pair his vote with another Senator's to register his opposition to this bill.

 

Background and what's next:

Though the ORP bill (S. 1912) was included as an amendment to the recently passed Senate bill on pension reform, the House pension bill has not been written and is not expected to be heard before the House chamber until after this hearing.  The Public Service Committee hearing will allow the bill to be fully vetted and will further educate the House and Senate members on the merits of the bill. When the House puts together its pension bill,  the ORP Ad Hoc committee will push to have the ORP bill included as part of any pension reform. This would address the problems related to current ORP faculty and the bleak retirement future that many of them face. If the House puts forward a pension package without  S. 1912 and the omission is not addressed in any pension bill that is enacted, the ORP bill will follow the typical journey of a State House bill.  Being vetted and passed favorably by the Public Service Committee is the first leg of that journey

 
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