SB 6516   Plan 2 Default for New Hires PERS, TRS, and SERS 
Modifying plan membership default provisions in the public employees' retirement system, the teachers' retirement
system, and the school employees' retirement system.

PAC COMMENT: Since the long term budget impacts may bring a savings of ($60) million, the Defined Benefit plan would bring stability to new hires and save money over the working life of Plan 2 employees. SUPPORT SB651

SB 6584  Review of Health Care Authority (HCA) Complaint Resolution
Applying the prohibition against unfair practices by insurers and their remedies and penalties to the state health care authority.

PAC COMMENT: It is our hope that better customer responsiveness will result from insurance plans operating under the HCA provisions of this bill. SUPPORT SB6584

SJR 8223 Proposed Constitutional Amendment re: Pension Funding
The Legislature could ignore recommendations by the Pension Funding Council and repeal benefits that it deemed as not constitutionally protected.

PAC COMMENT: This bill opens up the benefits now held under the purvey of the Pension Funding Council through a Constitutional amendment that would allow for Legislative tinkering of pension funding rates. This end run is not necessary in that the  benefit improvements are totally justified; what isn’t justified is a decade of underfunded  school pensions. Look up Bakenhaus v. City of Seattle 48Wn.2d 695 (1956).
OPPOSE SJR 8223

HB 2679  An Attempt to Short Change Future Pension Benefits in In Order to Face Legislative Underfunding of Pensions        
This bill delays increases in pension benefits until a risk analysis is completed by the Office of the State Actuary.
        

PAC COMMENT: This bill focuses pension benefit improvements that are built into the system in a logical, fiscally prudent way if and only if the pensions had been funded properly by past Legislatures. Therefore, calling for risk analysis begs the question and points at retirees as the cause of the problem when, in fact, it is the Legislature’s past fiscal irresponsibility regarding fully funding  pensions that is the core of this bill’s focus. OPPOSE HB 2679

HB 2871    Requires that if the funding ratio of pensions with an active
retiree base (e.g. TRS 1 and PERS 1) falls below 85% or less, then any benefits to thousands of retirees would have to be fully funded in one year.

PAC COMMENT:  Given the numbers of retirees in TRS 1 and PERS 1 and the scorched earth requirement that benefits be fully paid off in 12 months is saying, in effect, that the pension system is a closed loop. The message of HB 2871’s rigid mind set toward pensions sends shivers to younger educational workers who face 42 year careers in Plan 2 and 3. Is HB 2871 a means to encourage young educational workers to stay in the field? All pension funds will eventually  dip below 85% and fall into this trap. By rights, this kind of proposal needs and to come directly out of the Select Committee on Pension Policy, not the Legislature. OPPOSE HB 2871