Public employee priority bills 2007
State pay plan signed into law.
Probation & parole positions
saved.
Regular Session
Bills we SUPPORTED:
HB
13 (Sesso) - State employee
pay plan. This is the pay plan negotiated and ratified
by MEA-MFT members and other state employee unions.
It's a top priority for MEA-MFT. House Republicans added
bad amendments in House Appropriations Committee. The
bill finally passed the House stripped of the bad amendments,
after a lot of shenanigans.
Status:
PASSED.
HB 131 (Sesso) - Governor Schweitzer's funding
bill for the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)
and all other public employee retirement systems. But
as HB 131 brings PERS into actuarial compliance with
an increase in state-funded employer contributions,
it also reduces the Guaranteed Annual Benefit Adjustment
(GABA) in all public employee retirement systems from
the current 3% to 1.5% for all new employees hired on
or after July 1, 2007.
Status: PASSED.
SB
295 (Tash) – codifies the Montana Youth Challenge.
The National Guard Youth Challenge program located in
Dillon has been around since 1999. MEA-MFT represents
the employees who work therein. Youth Challenge has
become a remarkably successful alternative high school
environment for a growing number of eligible Montana
high school drop outs.
Status:
PASSED
SB
335 (Tash) – applies the quality educator payment
for eligible faculty to the Montana Youth Challenge.
Currently Youth Challenge employs 10 teachers. Read
the bill.
Status:
PASSED
Bills
we OPPOSED
HB
163 (Koopman) - Limits public employee lobbying
of the state legislature, thus limiting public employees'
rights. Read
the bill.
Status: DEAD.
HB
679 (Sales) – eliminates sick leave per se
for all new state employees hired on or after July 1,
2007. Creates a significantly reduced “flexible”
leave benefit.
Status:
DEAD
HB
827 (Himmelberger) - immediately terminates the
defined benefit plans in the Teachers Retirement System
and Public Employees Retirement System for all new hires.
In fact, eliminates TRS and PERS as separate retirement
entites for all hires. Requires all new school and public
employees enroll in a partially state funded defined
contribution plan.
Cost
to the state would be HUGE.
Status:
DEAD.
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