Update to Legislative Update

This is an update to Legislative Update #7

March 26, 2015

            CALL TO ACTION!                                             CALL TO ACTION!

Members, we are now at the point where we need to make it known how many are watching what the Senate will do with HB 1481, the COLA bill. It was heard yesterday in the Pensions and Labor Committee. We testified for it; however, the chairman did not take a vote on it, but we hope that it will be reassigned to the Appropriations Committee for further discussion. We are in the process of trying to talk to each member on that committee.

NOW, IT IS TIME FOR EACH OF YOU TO HELP US BY CONTACTING THE PRESIDENT PRO-TEM OF THE SENATE, SENATOR DAVID LONG.

Letters and emails should be short, polite, and firm: Use only one or two of these bullet points:

• There is money in the INPRS budget for a COLA because the actuaries have put in a 1 % assumption that we would be getting a COLA.
• This assumption has been there each year, even the last six when we did not get a COLA.
• Even though the school corporations pay this extra 1%, it has been put toward the unfunded liability, one that was created by former administrations—not by teachers or school corporations.
• Inflation over the last six plus years has taken away about 13 % of our purchasing power.
• We spend this money in our communities and pay taxes on it, as do the business people from whom we purchase food, medicine, etc. (Put in places where you spend much of your money.)
• A COLA in this biennium will only set back the final pay-off of the unfunded liability a few months further than as if we got nothing.
• There are 12,936 Indiana retired teachers from the pre-’96 fund who get $1000 or less in their monthly pension. They deserve some help as inflation eats away at these small amounts.

And PLEASE, find five to ten others that will also write to the Senator. We must let the Republican caucus in the Senate know that we are strong and determined. We are not asking for much, and the members of the House acknowledge that. It is time that the Senate does also!
Letters should be addressed to:

The Honorable David Long
200 W. Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204

emails should go to: Senator.Long@iga.in.gov

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