PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL RETIREMENT SYSTEM
2003 ENACTED LEGISLATION

H 2025  State Employee Health Insurance

This bill (1) eliminates the requirement that the state self-insure by October 1, 2003 and (2) provides that the state may continue to seek a variety of insurance plans and may self-insure upon the review of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.  

Current Action: 1/13 referred to House Fin-Ins Committee; 1/14 House Fin-Ins do pass; report awaited; 1/15 from House Fin-Ins do pass; 1/15 from House Rules with a technical amendment; 1/16 House COW approved with Rules technical amendment; passed House 57-0; 1/30 substituted in Senate for identical S 1030 and passed 30-0; 2/7 signed by Governor. Chap. 2, Laws 2003.

H 2349  Public Retiree Health Insurance

Supplemental medical insurance premium subsidies for certain retirees are extended through June 30, 2005 (prev. June 30, 2003).After June 30, 2003, to qualify for the supplemental benefit, retired members are required to pay minimum monthly out-of-pocket expenses.The out-of-pocket amounts are set depending on Medicare eligibility and family coverage (see tables below).

INITIAL SUBSIDY

Single

Family

Not Medicare Eligible

Medicare Eligible

All Not Medicare Eligible

All Medicare Eligible

One with Medicare

$150.00

$100.00

$260.00

$170.00

$215.00

ADDITIONAL �NONSERVICE AREA� SUBSIDY AFTER OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES

Single

Family

Not Medicare Eligible

Medicare Eligible

All Not Medicare Eligible

All Medicare Eligible

One with Medicare

$300.00

$170.00

$600.00

$350.00

$470.00

REQUIRED OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSE

Single

Family

Not Medicare Eligible

Medicare Eligible

All Not Medicare Eligible

All Medicare Eligible

One with Medicare

$125.00

$100.00

$425.00

$200.00

$400.00

Current Action: 1/22 Committee reference awaited; 1/29 referred to House Health, Govt.-Ret, Appropriations Committees; 2/13 from House Health do pass; 2/18 House Govt.-Ret amended; report awaited; 2/19 from House Govt.-Ret with amendment #3235; 3/10 from House Appro do pass; 3/11 from House Rules with a tech amendment; 3/11 House COW approved with floor amendment #3638, a substitute for amendment #3235, and the rules tech amendment; 3/12 passed House 40-17; ready for Senate; 3/19 referred to Senate Fin. & Gov. Committees; 4/2 from Senate Gov do pass. From Senate Fin with amendment #3913; 4/8 from Senate Rules with a technical amendment; 4/22 Senate COW approved with amendment #3913, floor amendment #4128 and the rules tech amendment; 5/1 passed Senate 26-3; ready for House action on Senate Amendments; 5/14 House concurred in Senate amendments and passed on final reading 51-4; ready for Governor; 5/21/03 signed by Governor. Chap. 247, Laws 2003.

S 1197Occupational Disease; Peace Officers

A section of workers� compensation law prescribing conditions under which occupational diseases such as certain cancers are deemed to arise out of employment for firefighters is expanded to apply to full-time peace officers who regularly are assigned to hazardous duties as members of SWAT teams, bomb squads and the like.

Current Action: 1/29 referred to Senate Com; 2/5 Senate Com do pass; report awaited; 2/6 from Senate Com do pass; 2/10 to Senate consent calendar; 2/11 from Senate Rules okay; 2/13 passed Senate 29-0; ready for House; 2/19 referred to House Util-Muni, Pub Inst-County, Appro; 3/12 from House Util-Muni do pass; 3/18 from House Pub Inst-County do pass; 3/19 from House Appro with amendment #3784; 3/27 from House Rules okay. House COW approved; amendment #3784 was withdrawn; 3/31 passed House 57-2; ready for Governor; 4/7 signed by Governor. Chap. 47, Laws 2003.

S 1224Retirement; Supplemental Contribution

This striker bill amends 38-952 and 38-953.Specifically, this bill requires that, in electing to participate in the supplemental defined contribution plan, an employee make an election within two years after the employee first becomes eligible to participate in the Plan and that election to participate is irrevocable and continues for the remainder of the employee�s employment with the employer.The bill also allows the employee to make a one-time irrevocable election of the employee�s contribution amount.Additionally, clarifies that the employer may annually increase or decrease the employee contributions in increments of one per cent up to the maximum allowed by law.Finally, it would allow an employer who chooses to match an employees contributions to another plan under the IRS to pay those matching contributions to the supplemental defined contribution plan and clarifies that if an employer elects to match the contributions made by the employee to the Plan, then the match shall be at the rate determined by the employer and shall be paid to the Plan.

Current Action: 2/3 referred to Senate Fin; 2/11 from Senate Fin with amendment #3134; 2/18 from Senate Rules okay; 2/20 Senate COW approved with amendment #3134; 2/25 passed Senate 29-0; ready for House; 2/27 referred to House Govt.-Ret, Appro; 3/25 from House Govt.-Ret with amendment #3828; 4/2 from House Appro with amendment #3930; 4/8 from House Rules okay. House COW approved with amendment #3828 and floor amendment #3991; amendment #3930 was withdrawn. NOTE SHORT TITLE CHANGE; 4/14 passed House 60-0; ready for Senate action on House amendments; 4/17 Senate refused to concur in House amendments and named Martin, Cheuvront and Weiers to a FREE conference committee. House conferees awaited; 4/21 House named Boone, Gallardo and Huppenthal to free conference committee. Senate members are Martin, Giffords and Weiers (Giffords replaced Cheuvront today); 5/1 House adopted conference report #4163. Awaits Senate adoption and final vote in both houses; 5/6 Senate adopted conference report #4163 and passed on final reading 30-0. Awaits final vote in House; 5/15 passed House on final reading 48-0; ready for Governor; 5/22 signed by Governor. Chap. 250, Laws 2003.