Indiana EdCast Episode #23

Welcome and thanks for listening to Episode #23 of IRTA's podcast, Indiana EdCast!

Tom Mellish is joined by Steve Beebe and they discuss Niezgodski for filing a CoLA bill, Hate Bill, Legislative Brunch, and more.

Click HERE to listen to the 25 minute episode.

🎧-🎧-🎧

Indiana EdCast Episode #6

Tom Mellish of IRTA is joined by Steve Beebe to talk about the past week in the legislature and what is coming up next week. Topics include the passing of Rep. Gutwein's 13th Check Bill, contacting legislators about the need for a COLA, and HB 1437 DC Option Only.

Listen to the 20-minute podcast right here.

A Call to Action from IRTA

Dear Members:

We are asking you to contact House of Representative legislators immediately. This is a short session and bills will move through committees very quickly. The Defined Contribution Only Plan is in House Bill 1004 and has been placed in the House Education Committee. Rep. Behning is the author and chairman of the committee so we know it will be heard in committee. We want to keep ahead on this issue and debate. I have spoken with many superintendents, principals, and new teachers about the advantages of a DB benefit over the DC Only Benefit. No one sees the advantage or reason that a DC Only Benefit would entice people to enter the teaching profession. The reasons, or Talking Points, on why we do not need a Defined Contribution Plan Only;

• Indiana Educators have both a DB and DC component to their retirement plan, the pension and ASA account

• Individuals can decide how aggressive or conservative they want to invest in their DC/ASA account and make changes quarterly

• If a person leaves the profession, they can roll over or use the DC/ASA money at their discretion

• The amount educators would have to save is at least 10 percent of their salary from day one.

• In today’s dollars an individual would need to save a minimum of $650,000 dollars to replace just the pension portion of the retirement plan

• It may cost the state more money to manage another fund

• Letting people take the money and run in a few years doesn’t solve the teacher shortage in the long term or promote longevity in the profession

• The DC Only option would have less people putting money into the pension to pay off pre-1996 retirement fund debt

House Bill 1161 the (“13th Check” Bill) has passed unanimously through the Employment, Labor, and Pensions Committee. An increase is also on our wish list and we are working for an amendment to this bill that will increase the amount of the “13th Check” as it goes to the House Ways and Means Committee. Please ask your legislator and members of the House Ways and Means Committee to increase the “13th Check” amount. Their contact information is at the end of this bulletin. The “13th Check” has never increased since its inception. It will be a struggle to get an increase this session since it is not a budget year. We feel we have support and momentum to get an increase in the House. The true test will be in the Senate. The first step is to get it through the House. Our Talking Points for the need of an increase for the “13th Check” are the following:

• No Social Security increase this year

• 8 years since last COLA in 2008

• Grocery prices have increased over 32% since 2008

• Electric Bills have increased over 15% since 2008

• Health care cost continue to escalate

• Over 14,000 retired teachers receive less than $1,000/month in their pensions

• Over 6,000 retired teachers receive less than $650/month in their pensions

• Indiana has had a surplus from their yearly budget the past few years that would more than fund a “13th Check” each year

• “13th Check” amount has never increased since its inception

Please contact your representative along with your family members and friends. Here is the link to get your legislator’s contact information http://www.in.gov/legislative. In addition to contacting your own legislators, we are adding the committee contact information. Please thank the Employment, Labor and Pension Committee for their support on the “13th Check”. Refer to the attached Word document for contact information.

Thank you for your continued support. You are the ones that make the difference in the legislature. This short legislative session is intense and quick moving as the bills pass through multiple committees. Friend us on Facebook, Twitter and watch our website http://www.retiredteachers.org for the most recent information throughout the session.

Thank you for your support of our legislative efforts.

Tom Mellish
Steve Beebe

Urgent Help Needed

From Your Indiana Retired Teachers Association Lobbying Team

WE URGENTLY NEED THE HELP OF EVERY MEMBER AND FRIEND OF RETIRED EDUCATORS!

Dear Member,

We have worked very hard to try to get a COLA for our retirees during the current legislative session. THE HOUSE BUDGET HAS A COLA IN IT! Because the Senate Appropriations Committee REFUSED to put ANYTHING for retirees into their budget, we are now faced with trying to get enough support to get a “13th check” or “stipend” that could be included in the budget when the House and Senate meet in conference to reconcile the two bills. We have only a few days to make our point. We have not had a COLA for seven years now, but at least an increased “13th check” would be helpful to those 14,000 retired teachers who get $1,000 or LESS in the monthly pension.

Please---contact your senator and your representative to ask them to support an increased “13th check!” Even if you’ve contacted them before, please do so again. We need a tidal wave of messages!

Remind them of what local business you can no longer support because you have lost 13% of your purchasing power.
Ask your children, your friends, and your neighbors to contact them.

Senators can be reached in the following ways:
S__@in.gov (Put their Senate district number in the blank after “S.”) OR

The Honorable _____________ (Or home address if known.)
200 W. Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Representatives can be reached by
H__@in.gov (put their House district number in the blank after the “H.”) OR

The Honorable ______________ (Or home address if known.)
200 W. Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204

To find your legislators: Go to the web site “Indiana General Assembly.” Scroll down to the tab at the bottom of the screen that says, “Find your legislator.” Put in your address and it will tell you. OR call our toll-free number: 1-800-454-9333 and ask us to help you find it.

Click HERE TO FIND YOUR LEGISLATOR.

Thank you for your help!
Nancy Tolson, Tom Mellish, Steve Beebe

Legislative Bulletin #8

After the chaos of the past week, the legislators have gone home until Tuesday.  We are still meeting and talking, but our chance of getting a COLA faded this week when we were told that HB 1481 would not be heard.

Sad to say, one legislator stands between us and a COLA!

 

HOWEVER: it isn’t over until the last gavel bangs and they go home for the summer.  We do know that there are House members who still want us to get some help.  Therefore, we are talking to them to say that if all we can get is the so-called, “13^th check,” it needs to be larger, but even more importantly, it needs to help those on the lower end who get so little in their monthly pension.

 

As you talk to legislators over the next week or two, please remind them that our latest figures from INPRS show that over 14,000 retired teachers get less than $1,000 monthly.  That isn’t a pension to allow for many luxuries!

 

We still feel that many of the members of the House truly want to get something done, be it a COLA or the “13^th check.”   We will be working with some friends in the Senate in the coming days to see what can be done.

 

Perhaps it is simply from the tension and stress that has been evident over the past days that makes me feel pessimistic, but I have to tell you that I do not see a COLA in the future until and unless there is no longer a “Super Majority” in the legislature.  I hope I am wrong, but Tom is going to have battles to fight next year and longer, so all we can do is help him in any way he asks.

 

I do want to tell you that I feel very good about one thing—I asked you to contact Senator Long, and according to his administrative assistant, he got “lots” of letters and emails.

Thank you for doing your part!  And please do not feel that it didn’t matter.  It does matter; it is simply that the system is rigged against us for the time being.

 

Please continue to write and email, and if one of your legislators tells you he or she is for the COLA or for some form of help, especially if it is a Republican, ask them to please speak for us in their caucus.  That is where most of the decisions are made!  We are actively trying to find some voices in that caucus who will support us.  We have a few, but need more to speak up to those who control it. 

 

As we know more, we will keep you updated.

 

Nancy

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

###

Legislative Update #7

March 24, 2015

Hello:

We wanted to update you on what is going on in the legislature this week. Movement is beginning again on Bills in the Senate. Senator Boots, chair of Pensions and Labor committee, has scheduled HB1481 to be heard tomorrow (Wednesday, March 25) at 9:00 A.M. At this time we have heard various rumors such as: it will be heard with no action; heard and voted on; heard and amended from a COLA to a 13th check…. Nancy will testify on behalf of the bill moving forward with the COLA, but will support the 13th check if it is amended and ask for the amount of the checks to be raised, since they have not been for many years.

Steve, Nancy, and I have been meeting with Senators on the Pensions and Labor committee and Senate Appropriations on behalf of the COLA in HB1481. We have been sharing the information that the 1% COLA formula will cost less than the assumption INPRS established when presenting the 1% COLA for the biennium. That savings can be used to pay down the pre-96 unfunded liability, while still giving a very modest increase on our base pensions. We are attaching a letter that Nancy and Steve put together that was mailed to all senators and senators on the Pensions and Labor Committee also received an email copy.

Final decisions on bills with cost factors and their effect on the general fund will not be finalized until the April Revenue Forecast is received. We are confident that the last two weeks of the session will be very busy. Once we see the how HB1481 stands after the committee hearing, we will be targeting the Senate Appropriation Committee members with meetings.

You will receive another update later this week after we see what shape HB1481 is in after the hearing. If you talk, see, or write to your senators, please encourage them to support HB1481.

Thank you for your continued work on the committee and the support of our legislative agenda.

Sincerely,

Nancy, Tom and Steve

Legislative News

Legislative News!!

A bill to give a COLA for the next two years passed the House on third reading on Wednesday afternoon. It passed 94 to 0!

It will now go to the Senate, where Senator Boots is the sponsor and Senator Tallian is the second sponsor. Please write to them to express your appreciation for their sponsorship.

If you have not yet thanked the House members who sponsored and worked on our bills, please do so now.

Senator Boots: Senator.Boots@iga.in.gov
Senator Tallian: s4@iga.in.gov

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2015 Legislative Bulletin #5

Indiana Retired Teachers Association Legislative Bulletin Five

Exciting news!
The House Ways and Means Committee met on Wednesday, February 18. They heard HB 1481 which allows for a two-year COLA. Two amendments were offered and both passed and were added to the bill.

These amendments changed the bill so that it reads a Defined Benefit is still the default option, but teachers will be able to choose the defined Contribution if they want to. It also was changed so that it reads that teachers would make the choice, not the school corporation. The bill passed the Ways and Means Committee unanimously!

In its present form, the bill allows a one per cent COLA for September, 2015, and a 1.7 per cent for 2016. The figures and/or the language could be changed at several points in the process still to come.

We are grateful to Chairman Tim Brown for his support for this bill. He spoke to the committee about the seven years without a COLA, and the actuarial suppositions that are included with the INPRS estimates each year.

After Nancy testified on behalf of the bill, Chairman Brown asked Nancy if this was her last time to testify. He then thanked her for her service and the whole committee and audience members applauded.

To do right away:

1. Thank Representative Tim Brown, H41@in.gov for his support and recognition of Nancy.
2. Thank Representative Woody Burton, H58@in.gov for carrying the COLA bill and for his willingness to work on a compromise for the Defined Benefit issue.
3. Thank Representative David Niezgodski, H7@in.gov for his work on reaching a compromise and for his continued support for our issues.

Watch for news of HB 1481 passing the House.

Get ready to write your Senator in early March to URGE him or her to support the bill when it is heard in the Senate Committees.

Nancy and Tom

2015 Legislative Bulletin #4

LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN NUMBER FOUR

There isn’t a lot to report for this week except for one good thing that happened late last week:

The Appropriations Committee met to consider SB 492. This is the bill that had a clause making a Defined Contribution the default option for new hires for the state.
Senator Karen Tallian proposed an amendment that, among other items, dropped the DC clause. The amendment was accepted, and the clause is no longer part of the bill.
The bill passed the Senate yesterday and will now go to the House. We will watch to be sure no other amendments are added back in that would refer to a DC.

I have to give you the credit for the way this went. We were surprised at the ease in which they adopted Senator Tallian’s amendment, and we feel it may have been because they were hearing from all of you that we were opposed to the DC clause.
Please thank Senator Tallian: s4@iga.in.gov
And Senator Boots for allowing the amendment: s23@iga.in.gov
At any rate, if you wrote about SB 492. Thank you, and please keep up the good work.

What needs to happen now is a note to Representative Cherry to say we hope they will hear and pass his bill, HB 1493, in the Ways and Means Committee. This must happen within two weeks. A note to Chairman Brown of the Ways and Means Committee would also be appropriate.
HB 1493 is the hybrid bill that gives both a permanent increase and a one-time increase. We feel it has the best chance of becoming law, as its fiscal impact will be lower than the traditional COLA, but it still increases your monthly pension.

There is still a long way to go, but we are hoping to make the case for this bill. Representative Cherry: h53@iga.in.gov Representative Brown: h4@iga.in.gov

If any of your representatives are on the Ways and Means Committee, please write to them also. You should have the list of those names from Legislative Bulletin Two.

As always, we can’t do it without your support. THANK YOU FOR THE HELP!

Your legislative team

2015 Legislative Bulletin #2

Legislative Bulletin Number Two, 2015

• First, I want share with you that we have formed a coalition of stakeholders who receive public pensions. Our board voted to join this coalition, and we are working together on the pension bills for this legislative session. Some of the members are AFSCME, ISTA, AFT and your association. We have held several meetings to decide how we would combat the push in this session to move newly hired public employees (including teachers) from the Defined Benefit (pension) to the Defined Contribution (401K) method of providing retirement income.

• Second, we have also had meetings with some of the ISTAR officers to find ways in which we could work together to finally get a COLA for our retirees. I attended a second meeting with the ISTAR president and a staff member today. We are united in looking for any way that we can find to persuade the leaders in the legislature that it is time for a COLA!

• In numbers there is strength, and we are estimating that among these groups, we may have as many as 200,000 voices. That number includes you. SEE OUR LEGISLATIVE TAB ON THE WEB SITE FOR TALKING POINTS ABOUT THE DB/DC ISSUE. www.retiredteachers.org

• I testified at the House Employment, Pension and Labor Committee Wednesday on two of the bills that will affect our pensions.

• Bill 1493 is authored by Representative Cherry. The summary from the General Assembly web site follows:

• House bill 1481 had language in it that made it difficult for us to support. However, it was amended twice during the committee meeting, and we now support it. I am not going to put the summary here because the amendments that changed it have not yet been published. They may go on later today, but since they change the bill, we won’t have the correct summary at this time.

• Both bills passed out of this committee and will be sent to the House Ways and Means Committee.

Things to do immediately:

1. Send thank you notes to the author and co-authors of HB 1493 at 200 W. Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204
2. This time the hand-written note is preferable to the email.

Representative Robert Cherry-author
Representative Woody Burton
Representative Martin Carbaugh
Representative David Niezgodski

3. Send thank you notes to the author and co-authors of HB 1481
at the same address.

Representative Woody Burton-author
Representative Martin Carbaugh
Representative Timothy Harman

And to those who added amendments:
Representative Martin Carbaugh
Representative David Niezgodski

4. Send a thank you to Chairman Douglas Gutwein who heard our bills.

Address envelopes as
The Honorable ____________

Correct greeting:
Dear Representative ___________:

We will soon be asking you to contact the House Ways and Means committee members. Here are their email contacts for future reference.

Chairman Tim Brown h41@iga.in.gov
Robert Cherry h53@iga.in.gov
Michael Karickhoff h30@iga.in.gov
James Baird h44@iga.in.gov
Randy Truitt h26@iga.in.gov
Jeffrey Thompson h28@iga.in.gov
Daniel Leonard h50@iga.in.gov
Mike Braun h63@iga.in.gov
Steven Davisson h73@iga.in.gov
Todd Huston h37@iga.in.gov
Peggy Mayfield h60@iga.in.gov
Sharon Negele h13@iga.in.gov
David Ober h82@iga.in.gov
Harold Slager h15@iga.in.gov
Holli Sullivan h78@iga.in.gov
Matthew Ubelhor h62@iga.in.gov
Greg Porter h96@iga.in.gov
Ed Delaney h86@iga.in.gov
Terry Goodin h66@iga.in.gov
Sheila Klinker h27@iga.in.gov
David Niezgodski h7@iga.in.gov
Cherrish Pryor h94@iga.in.gov
Gail Riecken h77@iga.in.gov
Steve Stemler h71@iga.in.gov

Thank you for your support!
Nancy, Steve, and Tom

###

Indiana Retired Teachers Association LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN # 1

1/11/2012
Bill Watch

HB 1162 3% COLA
Author: Rep. Timothy Neese (bio)
Synopsis: PERF and TRF COLAs. Provides for a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for public employees' retirement fund (PERF) and teachers' retirement fund (TRF) members, survivors, and beneficiaries.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE LANGUAGE: http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2012/IN/IN1162.1.html

1-11-12 This bill has not been set for a hearing.

HB 1123 THIRTEENTH CHECK
Author: Rep. Woody Burton (bio)
Synopsis: Thirteenth checks. Provides for a thirteenth check to certain members of the:
(1) Indiana state teachers' retirement fund (TRF); (2) public employees' retirement fund (PERF); and (3) state excise police, gaming agent, gaming control officer, and conservation officers' retirement fund (C & E fund).
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE LANGUAGE: http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2012/IN/IN1123.1.html

1-11-12 This bill was heard in the House Ways and Means Committee. Association Secretary-Treasurer Dennis Bourquein and Executive Director Andrew Thomas testified that a COLA is preferred, but our Association supports the bill. Chairman Jeff Espich held the bill for a later vote.

SB 279 THIRTEENTH CHECK
Author: Sen. Ed Charbonneau (bio)
Synopsis: PERF and TRF thirteenth check. Provides for a thirteenth check for public employees’ retirement fund (PERF) and teachers’ retirement fund (TRF) members, survivors and beneficiaries.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE LANGUAGE: http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2012/IN/IN0279.1.html

1-11-12 This bill has not been set for a hearing.

SB 218 TRF PENSION MINIMUM
Author: Sen. Tim Skinner (bio)
Synopsis: TRF retirement benefit adjustment. Provides that the pension portion of the monthly benefit payable to a member of the Indiana state teachers' retirement fund (TRF) who retired before January 1, 1980, and has at least 20 years of creditable service may not be less than $500.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE LANGUAGE: http://in.gov/legislative/bills/2012/IN/IN0218.1.html

1-11-12 This bill has not been set for a hearing.

SB 220 MILITARY SERVICE CREDIT
Author: Sen. Tim Skinner
Synopsis: Public pension military service credit. Grants, under certain conditions, up to six years of service credit in the teachers' retirement fund for a member's past active duty military service.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE LANGUAGE: http://in.gov/legislative/bills/2012/IN/IN0220.1.html

1-11-12 This bill has not been set for a hearing.

SB 408 DEFINED CONTRIBUTION
Author: Sen. Brent Waltz (bio)
Synopsis: Public employees' defined contribution plan. Requires an individual who, after the effective date of the public employees' defined contribution plan (plan), becomes a full-time employee of the state in a position that would otherwise be eligible for membership in the public employees' retirement fund to become a member of the plan.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE LANGUAGE: http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2012/IN/IN0408.1.html

1-11-12 This bill has not been set for a hearing.

HB 1211 NURSING FACILITY SCREENING AND NOTIFICATION
Author: Rep. Suzanne Crouch (bio); Co-Author: Rep. Charlie Brown (bio)
Synopsis: Nursing facility screening and notification. Requires the dissemination of specified information as part of: (1) a nursing facility's notification to applicants; (2) the nursing facility preadmission screening program; and (3) the hospital discharge process. Specifies assessments that must be completed during a nursing facility preadmission screening.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE LANGUAGE: http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2012/IN/IN1211.1.html

1-11-12 This bill has not been set for a hearing.

Committees

House Ways & Means
Chair: Representative Espich
Vice Chair: Representative Crouch
Members: Rep. Cherry - Chair of Budget Subcommittee, Rep. Dermody - Chair Higher Ed Sub,
Rep. Pond - Chair Health & Medicaid Sub, Rep. M. Smith - Chair Tax Sub,
Rep. Thompson - Chair K-12 Sub, Rep. Baird, Clere,
Rep. Karickhoff, Rep. Kubacki, Rep. Leonard, Rep. McClain,
Rep. Truitt, Rep. Turner, Rep. Ubelhor,
Rep. Crawford R.M.M., Rep. Candelaria Reardon, Rep. Goodin,
Rep. Kersey, Rep. Klinker, Rep. Moses,
Rep. Pelath, Rep. Pryor, Rep. Welch

House Employment, Labor & Pensions
Chair: Representative Gutwein
Vice Chair: Representative Ellspermann
Members: Rep.Davis, Rep. Morris, Rep. Speedy, Rep. Steuerwald, Rep. Torr, Rep. Wesco,
Rep. Niezgodski R.M.M., Rep. Bartlett, Rep. C. Fry, Rep. Kersey, Rep. Moseley

Senate Pensions & Labor
Chair: Senator Boots
Members: Sen. Waltz R.M., Sen. Buck, Sen. Kruse, Sen. Schneider, Sen. Walker,
Sen. M. Young, Sen. Tallian R.M.M., Sen. Arnold, Sen. Skinner

Senate Appropriations
Chair: Senator Kenley
Members: Sen. Charbonneau R.M., Sen. Boots, Sen. Hershman, Sen. Lawson,
Sen. Miller, Sen. Mishler, Sen. Waltz, Sen. Wyss,
Sen. Broden R.M.M., Sen. Hume, Sen. Rogers, Sen. Tallian



Andrew P. Thomas, Executive Director
Indiana Retired Teachers Association
2629 Waterfront Parkway East Dr, Suite 105
Indianapolis, IN 46214
888.454.9333
athomas@retiredteachers.org

_______________________________________________
RetiredTeachers mailing list
RetiredTeachers@www.hoosiers.net
http://www.hoosiers.net/mailman/listinfo/retiredteachers

A Second Call to Action

We encourage you to contact ALL Indiana legislators if you have not already done so. Stress the specific HARDSHIPS you are experiencing, such as increased food, medicine, gasoline, heating and other costs. Emphasize that Indiana retired teachers have received either a COLA or One Time Payment (13th check) EVERY YEAR for the last 28 years. Please be courteous, civil, and firm.

You can find email addresses, mailing addresses and phone numbers of your state legislators here: http://ai.org/legislative/2345.htm

The proposed AMOUNTS of the One-Time Payment may be found here: http://in.gov/legislative/bills/2011/PDF/HAMF/MO1001465.148.pdf

Please ask your legislators to ADD THE ONE-TIME PAYMENT language into HB 1001 (Budget Bill) or another bill.

Thank you for your support!

Andrew P. Thomas, Executive Director
Indiana Retired Teachers Association
2629 Waterfront Pkwy East Dr., Ste. 105
Indianapolis IN, 46214
Telephone (317) 637-7481
Toll-free (888)-454-9333
WEB SITE: http://www.retiredteachers.org/