BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                   AB 775|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 775
          Author:   Niello (R)
          Amended:  As introduced
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE PUBLIC EMP. & RET. COMMITTEE  :  5-0, 6/25/07
          AYES:  Wiggins, Ashburn, McClintock, Migden, Negrete McLeod
           
          ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  72-0, 5/10/07 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    County employees retirement:  employment of  
          retirees

           SOURCE  :     County of Sacramento


           DIGEST  :    This bill prohibits a retiree of a county  
          operating a retirement system under the County Employees'  
          Retirement Law of 1937 ('37 Act) from being hired by the  
          same '37 Act county from which they retired, if, during the  
          12-month period prior to the appointment, the retiree  
          received unemployment insurance payments arising out of  
          prior county employment as a retired annuitant.

           ANALYSIS  :    

          Existing law:

          1. Authorizes a '37 Act county to employ a retired  
             annuitant in a position requiring special skills or  
             knowledge for up to 120 working days or 960 hours,  
                                                           CONTINUED





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             whichever is greater, in a fiscal year or any other  
             designated 12-month period, without reinstatement from  
             retirement or loss or interruption of retirement  
             benefits.

          2. Provides for the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program,  
             administered by the Employment Development Department,  
             granting weekly UI payments for workers who lose their  
             job through no fault of their of own.  Eligibility for  
             benefits requires that the claimant be able to work, be  
             seeking work, and be willing to accept a suitable job.

          3. Permits a retiree to work in Public Employees Retirement  
             System (PERS)-covered employment, for up to 960 hours in  
             a calendar year, without reinstatement from retirement  
             or loss or interruption of PERS retirement benefits.

          4. Prohibits a PERS retiree from being hired by a state  
             agency, if during the 12-month period prior to the  
             proposed appointment, the PERS retiree received any UI  
             payments arising out of prior post-retirement employment  
             with a PERS employer.

          This bill prohibits a retiree of a county operating a  
          retirement system under the '37 Act from being hired by the  
          same '37 Act county from which they retired, if, during the  
          12-month period prior to the appointment, the retiree  
          received unemployment insurance payments arising out of  
          prior county employment as a retired annuitant.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  No    
          Local:  No

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  6/26/07)

          County of Sacramento (source)
          California State Association of Counties
          Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
          Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association


           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    According to the bill's sponsor,  
          the County of Sacramento, "Employees who retire from county  
          service and return to work as retired annuitants on  







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          temporary assignments are eligible to draw unemployment  
          insurance in the event they have worked the maximum 960  
          hours or are released from their position due to lack of  
          work.  This practice has been referred to in the press as  
          'triple dipping' (i.e., collecting retirement, retired  
          annuitant salary and unemployment insurance).  While this  
          allowable practice has not been prevalent in Sacramento  
          County, the Board of Supervisors believes that it is  
          inappropriate.  Retired state employees are allowed to  
          collect unemployment insurance after working 960 hours or  
          being released due to lack of work, but are prevented from  
          being hired as a retired annuitant by the employer from  
          whom they earned their retirement if the retirees have  
          received unemployment insurance benefits in a 12-month  
          period."


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 
          AYES:  Adams, Aghazarian, Arambula, Bass, Beall, Benoit,  
            Berg, Berryhill, Blakeslee, Brownley, Caballero, Charles  
            Calderon, Carter, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De  
            Leon, DeSaulnier, DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson, Eng, Evans,  
            Feuer, Fuller, Gaines, Galgiani, Garcia, Hancock,  
            Hayashi, Hernandez, Horton, Houston, Huff, Huffman,  
            Jeffries, Jones, Karnette, Keene, Krekorian, La Malfa,  
            Laird, Leno, Levine, Lieber, Ma, Maze, Mendoza, Mullin,  
            Nakanishi, Nava, Niello, Parra, Plescia, Portantino,  
            Price, Richardson, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Smyth, Solorio,  
            Spitzer, Strickland, Swanson, Torrico, Tran, Villines,  
            Walters, Wolk, Nunez
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Anderson, Dymally, Garrick, Lieu, Sharon  
            Runner, Ruskin, Soto, Vacancy


          JJA:mw  6/26/07   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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