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SB 1450 IS HORRIBLE LEGISLATION

All members need to be aware of a very disturbing bill that has been introduced by senators Linda Gurrou, A.B. Swindell, and David Hoyle.

SB 1450, State Retirement Age and Service Change would completely relegate selected state law enforcement officers, hired after January 1, 2011, to retirement benefits of civilian state retirees and destroy years of hard work in obtaining retirement benefits that reflect the dates, stress and danger of the law enforcement profession.

This bill would eliminate retirement benefits, the separation allowance and mandatory 5% employer contribution into the employees 401(k) plan for all state law enforcement officers hired AFTER January 1, 2011, that are NOT members of the Alcohol Law Enforcement Division (ALE), the State Highway Patrol, or the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). This would mean substantially reduced retirement benefits for all other state law enforcement officers hired AFTER JANUARY 1, 2011, in the following agencies:

State Capital Police
Marine Fisheries
State Fairground Police
All Campus police officers of the UNC System University Police and
Community College Police
NC Wildlife Officers
Department of Revenue
Sworn Officers of the Secretary of State Offices
DMV License and Theft Agents

Other provisions in this bill abolish longevity pay, require a monthly contributing payment for the retirees’ health coverage, and provide changes in the Service Retirement Allowance
from age 50 with 15 years or age 55 with 5 or more years
to 55 with 25 years and 60 with 5 or more years

This bill DOES NOT APPLY TO EXISTING EMPLOYEES and IT DOES NOT APPLY TO ANY LOCAL OR COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ON, BEFORE, OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 2011.

However, this is horrible legislation that, if passed, PBA believes would lead to local officers and all current state officers very likely being next.

This bill, if passed, would send North Carolina law enforcement backward and would virtually eliminate positive recruiting efforts for the future.

We are being told on good authority that this bill is not likely to be heard and that it is not being seriously considered. However, we wanted you to be aware of it and to know that PBA will be tracking this bill until it is no longer being considered. If matters change, we will consider other action and will keep you posted.

If you ever wanted to know why PBA stresses the importance of members’ participation in the PBA political process, this is your answer.

All PBA chapters are currently scheduling candidate screenings which include state House and Senate races. Contact your local chapter leaders or the PBA office if you want to know how to get involved or when you can participate in your chapter screenings.

Stay tuned.

	LEGISLATIVE ALERT June 15, 2010
	SB 1450 IS HORRIBLE LEGISLATION All members need to be aware of a very disturbing bill that has been introduced by senators Linda Gurrou, A.B. Swindell, and David Hoyle. SB 1450, State Retirement Age and Service Change would completely relegate selected state law enforcement officers, hired after January 1, 2011, to retirement benefits of civilian state retirees and destroy years of hard work in obtaining retirement benefits that reflect the dates, stress and danger of the law enforcement profession. This bill would eliminate retirement benefits, the separation allowance and mandatory 5% employer contribution into the employees 401(k) plan for all state law enforcement officers hired AFTER January 1, 2011, that are NOT members of the Alcohol Law Enforcement Division (ALE), the State Highway Patrol, or the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). This would mean substantially reduced retirement benefits for all other state law enforcement officers hired AFTER JANUARY 1, 2011, in the following agencies: State Capital Police Marine Fisheries State Fairground Police All Campus police officers of the UNC System University Police and Community College Police NC Wildlife Officers Department of Revenue Sworn Officers of the Secretary of State Offices DMV License and Theft Agents Other provisions in this bill abolish longevity pay, require a monthly contributing payment for the retirees’ health coverage, and provide changes in the Service Retirement Allowance from age 50 with 15 years or age 55 with 5 or more years to 55 with 25 years and 60 with 5 or more years This bill DOES NOT APPLY TO EXISTING EMPLOYEES and IT DOES NOT APPLY TO ANY LOCAL OR COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ON, BEFORE, OR AFTER JANUARY 1, 2011. However, this is horrible legislation that, if passed, PBA believes would lead to local officers and all current state officers very likely being next. This bill, if passed, would send North Carolina law enforcement backward and would virtually eliminate positive recruiting efforts for the future. We are being told on good authority that this bill is not likely to be heard and that it is not being seriously considered. However, we wanted you to be aware of it and to know that PBA will be tracking this bill until it is no longer being considered. If matters change, we will consider other action and will keep you posted. If you ever wanted to know why PBA stresses the importance of members’ participation in the PBA political process, this is your answer. All PBA chapters are currently scheduling candidate screenings which include state House and Senate races. Contact your local chapter leaders or the PBA office if you want to know how to get involved or when you can participate in your chapter screenings. Stay tuned.