Last Week
Legislative Commission on Pensions hears proposal on Correctional plan to reduce contributions: The Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement heard SF4721 (Frentz) which would reduce employer and employee contributions to the correctional plan and increase the cost of living adjustment cap from 2.5% to 3%. The employer contribution rate would change from 10.25% to 9% and the employee contribution rate would change from 6.83% to 6%. The correctional plan is currently funded at 105% and with the changes is projected to remain above 100%. PERA Executive Director spoke in favor of the bill. MICA submitted a combined letter with AMC in support of the bill. The commission moved to include the bill in the omnibus pensions bill and the motion passed without any opposition.
More action on non-disclosure agreement bills: On Wednesday the House Judiciary committee heard HF4077 (Greenman) which would prohibit local governments from entering into a nondisclosure agreement or other contract with a private person restricting disclosing information to members of the public about the development of land, an economic development project or program, or a project or program financed in whole or in part with the municipality’s tax revenues, financial obligations, or taxing powers, except as required by state or federal law. The bill had previously been referred to the general register but was moved to the Judiciary Committee at the request of Rep. Peggy Scott. Rep. Emma Greenman and Rep. Drew Roach held a press conference on the bill earlier that day. Republican members of the committee voiced concerns that the language was unnecessary because local units of government must be responsive to data practice requests even if they sign non-disclosure agreements. The bill did not advance out of committee, on a 7-7 party line vote. The Senate companion, SF4379 (Maye Quade) has moved out of committee and been referred to the senate floor.
Bill introductions of interest:
- HF4797 (Harder)/SF4994 (Gruenhagen) Authorizing online publication when no qualified newspaper is available
- HF4814 (Huot) Banning local elected officials from entering nondisclosure agreements related to data centers
- HF4877 (Lillie)/SF5096 (Frentz) Establishing the local government probation and telecommunicator retirement plan
- HF4879 (Lillie)/SF5093 (Frentz) Revising various technical retirement statutes to include references to the local government probation and telecommunicator retirement plan
- HF4914 (Gordon)/SF5099 (Koran) Requiring fraud risk scoring and fraud risk score benchmarks for grants to political subdivisions
- HF4915 (Zeleznikar)/SF5062 (Bahr) Banning local elected officials from entering nondisclosure agreements related to data centers
- SF4961 (Hauschild) Property tax refunds; excluding scholarships, dependent flexible spending accounts, and health flexible spending accounts from the income definition used by the homestead credit refund program
- SF4980 (Boldon) Prohibiting penalties for certain uses of public land by homeless individuals
- SF5100 (Matthews) Making modifications by data center laws