:Contact members of House State Administration: Urge them to oppose SB 143 authorizing double dipping at the expense of the Teachers Retirement System. Note: SB 143 was heard today, March 10, in committee.
Here’s a possible message: Please help keep the Teachers Retirement System actuarially sound as our constitution and taxpayers both demand. Vote NO on SB 143.
________________________
SB 143 (Lang) - Passed Senate – Vote. Heard House State Administration March 10. Amends an already too permissive existing law that permits a retired teacher under certain circumstances to be reemployed and continue to draw retirement benefits. In another world this would be called “double dipping.” Current law permits this event if the teacher has completed at least 30 years and can only continue to be employed as a retired teacher for a maximum of 3 years. SB 143 amends those two significant numbers to 25 and 4. SB 143 presents a potential, long-term threat to our ongoing efforts to amortize the Teachers Retirement System and on a case by case basis closes the door on teaching opportunities for newer, younger teachers.
(H)State Administration -- Standing Committee
Rep. JACOB BACHMEIER (D)
Rep. BRYCE BENNETT (D)--Vice Chair
Rep. GERALDINE CUSTER (R)
Rep. JOHN L FLEMING (D)
Rep. FRANK GARNER (R)
Rep. EDWARD GREEF (R)
Rep. DENISE HAYMAN (D)
Rep. JESSICA KARJALA (D)
Rep. AUSTIN KNUDSEN (R)
Rep. DENNIS LENZ (R)
Rep. FORREST MANDEVILLE (R)--Chair
Rep. WENDY MCKAMEY (R)--Vice Chair
Rep. JEAN PRICE (D)
Rep. WALT SALES (R)
Rep. RAY SHAW (R)
Rep. DEREK SKEES (R)
Rep. SCOTT STAFFANSON (R)
Rep. KATHY SWANSON (D)
Rep. PEGGY WEBB (R)
Rep. SUSAN WEBBER (D)
________________________
Bills we support:
(Tabled bills are not included in this list.)
HB 13 (Funk) – House Appropriations Hearing March 23. State pay plan. Appropriates $18.7m over the biennium to increase state employee pay 1% each year. Modest, affordable, and necessary.
HB 387 (Wagoner) – Fiscal Note. Passed House - Vote. Referred to Senate Health, Welfare, and Safety. Authorizes a 12 bed assessment and stabilization unit (ASU) for seriously impacted patients on into an indefinite future AND gives MDC two more years to close effective June 30, 2019. This is likely the best we can do to help repair the damage the last legislature did when it ordered MDC to close effective June 30, this year.
HB 418 (McCarthy) - Fiscal Note. Passed House 2d Reading. Hearing House Appropriations March 13. As introduced increases state funding of career and technical education $10m over the biennium. The committee amended the appropriation out of the bill. The legislature is simply not interested in funding special education inflation, 19-year old ANB, and mandatory education until age 18. And the superintendent of public instruction is not promoting any of these funding efforts whatsoever. Also see HB 270 (Anderson) tabled in House Appropriations.
HB 458 (Wagoner) – Passed House – Vote. Referred to Senate Health, Welfare, and Safety. Authorizes oversight of care for former Montana Developmental Center patients.
HB 563 (Kelker) – Fiscal Note. Hearing House Education March 17. Creates Montana preschool grant program. This is the governor’s second attempt at establishing a public preschool program across Montana. Like his Early Edge attempt last session he and we can expect plenty of opposition. Montana Public Education Center (MT-PEC) is united in favor. But why would the legislature fund this and not fund special education inflation, 19-year old ANB, and mandatory education until age 18?
SB 103 (L. Jones) – Passed Senate – Vote. Hearing House Education March 13. Clarifies “that a school district’s obligation to provide the minimum aggregate hours does not apply to pupils demonstrating proficiency in content ordinarily covered by instruction.” This should be a useful provision going forward as school districts design and deliver innovative instruction programs as in any charter schools they may wish to create under 10.55.604 of the board of public education.
SB 115 (Moe) - Passed Senate - Vote. Hearing House Education March 13. Provides state funded stipend for National Board Certified Teachers. This could be the one bill in this session that actually will help recruit AND retain quality classroom instruction.
SB 260 (L. Jones) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate - Vote. Hearing House Appropriations March 14. Creates school facilities fund within the coal severance tax trust fund. Companion bill to SB 307.
SB 294 (Fitzpatrick) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate – Vote. Referred to House State Administration. Revises laws governing state employee pay plans. Among other things eliminates pay bands and codifies the office of budget and program planning responsibility to “review and approve any proposed changes to the classification of an occupation or its related job evaluation factors” and monitor the way each agency compensates its employees.” And directs that a state “agency may not change the classification of an occupation or its related job evaluation factors until the agency . . . receives approval form the office of budget and program planning.”
SB 305 (Fitzpatrick) – Passed Senate – Vote. Referred to House Judiciary. Authorizes county election officials to conduct this spring’s special Congressional election by mail. Passed the Senate but has run into a Republican Party leadership directed voter suppression buzz saw. Speaker Austin Knudsen has referred SB 305 to House Judiciary to die.
SB 307 (L. Jones) – Passed Senate. Vote. Hearing House Education March 13. Revises school funding “laws to address facilities. Combined with SB 260, SB 307 is the best school funding/school facilities bill we are going to see in this legislature.
Bills we oppose:
HB 280 (Brodehl) – Passed House - Vote. Referred to Senate Judiciary. Authorizes legislators to carry handguns on state property. Ridiculous. Why not arm lobbyists?
HB 376 (Windy Boy) – Fiscal Note. Legal Review Note. Passed House – Vote. Referred to Senate Education. Establishes local district charter schools chartered through a politicized state charter commission, “not subject to the general supervision of the board of public education or the accreditation standards.” In addition to bad public policy and a frontal assault on the board of public education and school accreditation and teacher licensure standards, HB 376 is unconstitutional. Nothing prevents a local school district from working with the board of public education to establish a charter school pursuant to rule – 10.55.604. In fact nothing prevents a local school district from establishing innovative educational environments with or without the board of public education.
HB 423 (Berglee) – Legal Review Note. Heard House Education February 22. Creates pay vouchers (a mix of state and local public school dollars) for special needs kids, 504 kids, military dependents, and all their siblings to go to any school they want anywhere in the world. Like HB 376 atrocious public policy, abject misappropriation of public funds, and unconstitutional. Governor Bullock vetoed this same bill last session.
SB 99 (C. Smith) - Passed Senate – Vote. Hearing House Judiciary March 22. Prohibits enforcement of federal firearms laws by Montana public employees. Basically a state’s rights nullification bill. Embarrassing.
SB 143 (Lang) - Passed Senate – Vote. Heard House State Administration March 10. Amends an already too permissive existing law that permits a retired teacher under certain circumstances to be reemployed and continue to draw retirement benefits. In another world this might be called “double dipping.” Current law permits this event if the teacher has completed at least 30 years and can only continue to be employed as a retired teacher for a maximum of 3 years. SB 143 amends those two significant numbers to 25 and 4. SB 143 presents a potential, long-term threat to our ongoing efforts to amortize the Teachers Retirement System and on a case by case basis closes the door on teaching opportunities for newer, younger teachers.
Here’s a possible message: Please help keep the Teachers Retirement System actuarially sound as our constitution and taxpayers both demand. Vote NO on SB 143.
________________________
SB 143 (Lang) - Passed Senate – Vote. Heard House State Administration March 10. Amends an already too permissive existing law that permits a retired teacher under certain circumstances to be reemployed and continue to draw retirement benefits. In another world this would be called “double dipping.” Current law permits this event if the teacher has completed at least 30 years and can only continue to be employed as a retired teacher for a maximum of 3 years. SB 143 amends those two significant numbers to 25 and 4. SB 143 presents a potential, long-term threat to our ongoing efforts to amortize the Teachers Retirement System and on a case by case basis closes the door on teaching opportunities for newer, younger teachers.
(H)State Administration -- Standing Committee
Rep. JACOB BACHMEIER (D)
Rep. BRYCE BENNETT (D)--Vice Chair
Rep. GERALDINE CUSTER (R)
Rep. JOHN L FLEMING (D)
Rep. FRANK GARNER (R)
Rep. EDWARD GREEF (R)
Rep. DENISE HAYMAN (D)
Rep. JESSICA KARJALA (D)
Rep. AUSTIN KNUDSEN (R)
Rep. DENNIS LENZ (R)
Rep. FORREST MANDEVILLE (R)--Chair
Rep. WENDY MCKAMEY (R)--Vice Chair
Rep. JEAN PRICE (D)
Rep. WALT SALES (R)
Rep. RAY SHAW (R)
Rep. DEREK SKEES (R)
Rep. SCOTT STAFFANSON (R)
Rep. KATHY SWANSON (D)
Rep. PEGGY WEBB (R)
Rep. SUSAN WEBBER (D)
- By email - http://leg.mt.gov/css/Sessions/65th/legwebmessage.asp
- By phone – (406) 444 4800
________________________
Bills we support:
(Tabled bills are not included in this list.)
HB 13 (Funk) – House Appropriations Hearing March 23. State pay plan. Appropriates $18.7m over the biennium to increase state employee pay 1% each year. Modest, affordable, and necessary.
HB 387 (Wagoner) – Fiscal Note. Passed House - Vote. Referred to Senate Health, Welfare, and Safety. Authorizes a 12 bed assessment and stabilization unit (ASU) for seriously impacted patients on into an indefinite future AND gives MDC two more years to close effective June 30, 2019. This is likely the best we can do to help repair the damage the last legislature did when it ordered MDC to close effective June 30, this year.
HB 418 (McCarthy) - Fiscal Note. Passed House 2d Reading. Hearing House Appropriations March 13. As introduced increases state funding of career and technical education $10m over the biennium. The committee amended the appropriation out of the bill. The legislature is simply not interested in funding special education inflation, 19-year old ANB, and mandatory education until age 18. And the superintendent of public instruction is not promoting any of these funding efforts whatsoever. Also see HB 270 (Anderson) tabled in House Appropriations.
HB 458 (Wagoner) – Passed House – Vote. Referred to Senate Health, Welfare, and Safety. Authorizes oversight of care for former Montana Developmental Center patients.
HB 563 (Kelker) – Fiscal Note. Hearing House Education March 17. Creates Montana preschool grant program. This is the governor’s second attempt at establishing a public preschool program across Montana. Like his Early Edge attempt last session he and we can expect plenty of opposition. Montana Public Education Center (MT-PEC) is united in favor. But why would the legislature fund this and not fund special education inflation, 19-year old ANB, and mandatory education until age 18?
SB 103 (L. Jones) – Passed Senate – Vote. Hearing House Education March 13. Clarifies “that a school district’s obligation to provide the minimum aggregate hours does not apply to pupils demonstrating proficiency in content ordinarily covered by instruction.” This should be a useful provision going forward as school districts design and deliver innovative instruction programs as in any charter schools they may wish to create under 10.55.604 of the board of public education.
SB 115 (Moe) - Passed Senate - Vote. Hearing House Education March 13. Provides state funded stipend for National Board Certified Teachers. This could be the one bill in this session that actually will help recruit AND retain quality classroom instruction.
SB 260 (L. Jones) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate - Vote. Hearing House Appropriations March 14. Creates school facilities fund within the coal severance tax trust fund. Companion bill to SB 307.
SB 294 (Fitzpatrick) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate – Vote. Referred to House State Administration. Revises laws governing state employee pay plans. Among other things eliminates pay bands and codifies the office of budget and program planning responsibility to “review and approve any proposed changes to the classification of an occupation or its related job evaluation factors” and monitor the way each agency compensates its employees.” And directs that a state “agency may not change the classification of an occupation or its related job evaluation factors until the agency . . . receives approval form the office of budget and program planning.”
SB 305 (Fitzpatrick) – Passed Senate – Vote. Referred to House Judiciary. Authorizes county election officials to conduct this spring’s special Congressional election by mail. Passed the Senate but has run into a Republican Party leadership directed voter suppression buzz saw. Speaker Austin Knudsen has referred SB 305 to House Judiciary to die.
SB 307 (L. Jones) – Passed Senate. Vote. Hearing House Education March 13. Revises school funding “laws to address facilities. Combined with SB 260, SB 307 is the best school funding/school facilities bill we are going to see in this legislature.
Bills we oppose:
HB 280 (Brodehl) – Passed House - Vote. Referred to Senate Judiciary. Authorizes legislators to carry handguns on state property. Ridiculous. Why not arm lobbyists?
HB 376 (Windy Boy) – Fiscal Note. Legal Review Note. Passed House – Vote. Referred to Senate Education. Establishes local district charter schools chartered through a politicized state charter commission, “not subject to the general supervision of the board of public education or the accreditation standards.” In addition to bad public policy and a frontal assault on the board of public education and school accreditation and teacher licensure standards, HB 376 is unconstitutional. Nothing prevents a local school district from working with the board of public education to establish a charter school pursuant to rule – 10.55.604. In fact nothing prevents a local school district from establishing innovative educational environments with or without the board of public education.
HB 423 (Berglee) – Legal Review Note. Heard House Education February 22. Creates pay vouchers (a mix of state and local public school dollars) for special needs kids, 504 kids, military dependents, and all their siblings to go to any school they want anywhere in the world. Like HB 376 atrocious public policy, abject misappropriation of public funds, and unconstitutional. Governor Bullock vetoed this same bill last session.
SB 99 (C. Smith) - Passed Senate – Vote. Hearing House Judiciary March 22. Prohibits enforcement of federal firearms laws by Montana public employees. Basically a state’s rights nullification bill. Embarrassing.
SB 143 (Lang) - Passed Senate – Vote. Heard House State Administration March 10. Amends an already too permissive existing law that permits a retired teacher under certain circumstances to be reemployed and continue to draw retirement benefits. In another world this might be called “double dipping.” Current law permits this event if the teacher has completed at least 30 years and can only continue to be employed as a retired teacher for a maximum of 3 years. SB 143 amends those two significant numbers to 25 and 4. SB 143 presents a potential, long-term threat to our ongoing efforts to amortize the Teachers Retirement System and on a case by case basis closes the door on teaching opportunities for newer, younger teachers.
