Legislative Update

Since covering pension/retirement/health insurance issues on behalf of WASA and AWSP, there are a few important points we have learned. This is just a brief summary of selected retirement related topics. However, the importance of advance planning cannot be overstated. These are not issues to put off until the last month of either one’s impending retirement or approaching Medicare eligible age. It’s best to complete your retirement application 30–90 days before you plan to retire.

Legislators grinded through some long hours to meet their deadline of February 13 when bills had to pass off the floor of the House or the Senate to stay alive. Some bills that made it all the way to the floor calendars for a vote died because legislators ran out of time or the bills weren’t prioritized. Now the bills that passed move to the other side and the process repeats. The next cut-off date is February 21 when bills must pass out of policy committees to keep moving.

Key deadlines have passed, and all action now moves to committee hearings as opposite house bills are discussed and acted upon. Overlaying all of these will be the upcoming proposed budgets whose hearings are scheduled for the upcoming week. The status of bills continues to change constantly as committees often re-work bills. The summaries below are just as they were when this report was written. Some bills have shown no movement since the last report, but they are related to the budget. Often called ‘trailer bills’ because the budget pulls them toward passage. In addition, bills can be ruled as ‘necessary to implement the budget’. They can then be revived under that justification which can be arbitrary at times.

The Legislature continues its forward progress as they passed the halfway point of this year’s legislative session this week. A second cut-off date was reached when bills had to pass out of fiscal committees by Monday. My bill tracking list got even smaller, but you never know what might happen in the remaining weeks. Language from bills that didn’t pass out of committees could still be used as budget provisos so we have to keep paying attention to all of the details.

Debates and floor action continue as both chambers rush to pass house of origin legislation by the end of February 13. The work of all committees will then resume, again, dealing with bills that have passed the opposite house. Some committees are already hard at work. The status of bills changes constantly, so the summaries below are just as they were when this report was written. A reminder that regardless of deadlines, bills can be ruled as ‘necessary to implement the budget’ so can be revived under that justification which can be arbitrary at times.