BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                      



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                    AB 89|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 89
          Author:   Hill (D)
          Amended:  9/2/11 in Senate
          Vote:     27 - Urgency

           
           SENATE PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT & RETIRE. COMM.  :  5-0, 6/27/11
          AYES:  Negrete McLeod, Walters, Gaines, Padilla, Vargas

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  8-0, 8/15/11
          AYES:  Kehoe, Walters, Alquist, Emmerson, Lieu, Pavley, 
            Price, Steinberg
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Runner
           
          ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  75-0, 5/26/11 (Consent) - See last page 
            for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Retirement:  public employees

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill allows the County of San Mateo to 
          implement a memorandum of understanding providing lower 
          retirement tiers for new safety employees represented by 
          the Deputy Sheriffs Association

           Senate Floor Amendments  of 9/2/11 remove language requiring 
          public pension systems and employers to adhere to federal 
          limits on pensions.

           Senate Floor Amendments  of 8/22/11 clarify that any changes 
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          to the employee contribution payment requirement agreed to 
          in the memorandum of understanding (MOU) may not be 
          effective until approved in an MOU 
          between the county board of supervisors and the employee 
          organization, and make a technical correction.

           ANALYSIS  :    The County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 
          ('37 Act) authorizes counties and districts to establish 
          retirement systems pursuant to its provisions in order to 
          provide pension benefits to employees.  The '37 Act 
          authorizes the Board of Supervisors of the County of San 
          Mateo to provide any retirement benefits for some, but not 
          all, general members or safety members of a county.  The 
          law authorizes a resolution adopted pursuant to these 
          provisions to require members to pay all or part of the 
          contributions by a member or employer, or both, that would 
          have been required if specified provisions relating to the 
          calculation of retirement benefits, as adopted by the board 
          or governing body, had been in effect during the period of 
          time designated in the resolution.

          This bill:

          1. Allows San Mateo County to implement an MOU providing 
             lower pension tiers for new safety members represented 
             by the Deputy Sheriffs Association.

          2. Specifies that any changes to the employee payment 
             requirement for represented employees must be approved 
             in an MOU between the county board of supervisors and 
             the employee organization.

           Comments  

          The County of San Mateo has recently negotiated a new 
          six-year MOU with the Deputy Sheriffs Association that will 
          require new hires to choose reduced retirement formulas of 
          either two percent at age 50, or three percent at age 55 
          (the formula for current employees is three percent at age 
          50).  This bill provides the statutory authority for the 
          county to implement this new retirement formulas.  
          Employees will be able to choose between the two new 
          formulas.  It is expected that the County of San Mateo will 
          save nearly $23 million in pension costs over the next 10 

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          years. 

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

          According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

                          Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

             Major Provisions                2011-12     2012-13    
             2013-14               Fund  

            Retirement benefits           unknown future 
            savingsSpecials*

            San Mateo pension             potentially millions in 
            future savings      Local
            formula

             *   Public Employees' Retirement System and State 
              Teachers' Retirement System
             *   Judges Retirement System and Legislators' 
              Retirement System
           
           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/15/11)

          California Federation of Teachers
          California Public Employees' Retirement System 
          County of San Mateo
          Peace Officers Research Association of California

           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    According to information provided 
          by the author's office and the County of San Mateo, a 
          recently negotiated MOU with the Deputy Sheriffs 
          Association will require new hires to choose reduced 
          retirement formulas of either two percent at age 50, or 
          three percent at age 55 (the formula for current employees 
          is the three percent at age 50 formula).  Employees who 
          choose the three percent at age 55 formula will also pay a 
          larger share of the cost in employee contributions.


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  75-0, 5/26/11 (Consent)
          AYES:  Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, 

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            Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford, 
            Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Carter, 
            Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eng, Feuer, 
            Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Beth Gaines, Galgiani, 
            Garrick, Gatto, Gordon, Grove, Hagman, Halderman, Hall, 
            Harkey, Hayashi, Roger Hern�ndez, Hill, Huber, Hueso, 
            Huffman, Jeffries, Knight, Lara, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, 
            Ma, Mansoor, Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell, Monning, Morrell, 
            Nestande, Nielsen, Norby, Olsen, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel 
            P�rez, Portantino, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, 
            Swanson, Torres, Valadao, Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams, 
            Yamada, John A. P�rez
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Campos, Cedillo, Davis, Gorell, Jones


          CPM:mw  9/6/11   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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