With the legislative session about to end on April 19, it looks like the Alaska Public Pension Coalition needs to prepare for Round Two next legislative session (January 2010). We will need your continued support and your voice.
HB30, introduced by Representatives Harris, Hawker, and Munoz, is co-sponsored by Representatives Kawasaki, Guttenberg, Gara, Lynn, Dahlstrom, Kerttula, Herron, Tuck, Edgmon, Gruenberg, Buch, Gardner, Crawford and Petersen. As of April 10, 2009, the legislation is stuck in House Labor & Commerce.
HB54, introduced by Representatives Tuck, Crawford, Buch, Cissna, Gara, Holmes, and Peterson, is co-sponsored by Representatives Kerttula, Gruenberg, Harris, Dahlstrom and Gardner. The legislation never moved out of House Labor & Commerce after it was assigned to that committee on January 20, 2009.
SB23, introduced by former Sen. Kim Elton, is co-sponsored by Senators Ellis, French, Wielechowski, Menard, Paskvan, McGuire, Thomas and Davis. The bill made it through both Labor & Commerce and State Affairs but has been stuck in Finance since March 25, 2009.
We encourage you to check back as we post updates on forums to be scheduled throughout the state this fall and winter. We will continue to work to collect testimony from individuals who want to share their story about how the change in the state's retirement system has affected their lives and their careers. We want to return to Juneau in January 2010 and get this legislation PASSED!