| ~ ~ Legislative Hot Lines ~ ~ |
07/14/2010 ~ ~ Send Your
WEP/GPO Letters to Congress Now ~ ~
The United States House of Representatives Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security will be holding a Subcommittee hearing on Social Security.
This hearing is July 15 in Washington D.C. The topic is to celebrate 75 years of the successful Social Security program and look forward to the next 75 years of continuing and maintaining Social Security.
CalRTA will submit written testimony to the Committee and urges all CalRTA members to write to the Committee and to their members of Congress urging the repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset as part of the Social Security reform.
The hearing announcement and where to write will be placed on the CalRTA website.
~Dave Walrath
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07/07/2010 CalRTA Update
It is official. The Secretary of State reported that the pension attack initiatives have not qualified for the November or any other state ballot. Congratulations.
Thank you to all CalRTA members who were ready to campaign against the proposed ballot initiatives. While we have dodged this attack, there is every indication that the opponents of defined benefit public employee pensions will continue their efforts.
Because the pension proposals are out of the way for now, CalRTA urges every member to redouble efforts to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension offset.
When I was in Washington, D.C., I met with National Education Association (NEA) staff on NEAs efforts and plans for advocacy on repeal.
They support repeal and will continue to make repeal a priority. Visit calrta.org for more information.
~Dave Walrath
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07/01/2010 CalRTA Update
CalRTA’s Legislative Advocate, David Walrath, testified on June 30 before the Commission for Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
He spoke in support for Social Security solvency and the repeal of the WEP and GPO penalties.
The National Education Association also spoke on WEP/GPO repeal. There were many presenters ranging from the AFL-CIO leader to Grover Norquist. Click here to view David's testimony.
SB 810 Passes Assembly Health Committee
Senator Leno’s universal single-payer health insurance bill (SB 810) passed the Assembly Health Committee on June 29, 2010 with CalRTA testifying in support along with almost 100 other organizations
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06/29/2010 CalRTA Update
Yesterday the Senate Appropriations Committee passed Assembly Bill 1862 (Eng) the CalRTA co-sponsored legislation to allow retirees to elect the retiree representative on the Teachers’ Retirement Board. The bill is opposed by the Department of Finance so getting the Governor’s signature will be difficult.
CalRTA’s advocate, Dave Walrath, was accepted to speak before the Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform on June 30, 2010 in Washington, D.C. He will speak in the afternoon on the need for Social Security equity and fairness by repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset.
This message will be updated after the July 4th weekend
~Dave Walrath
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06/09/2010 CalRTA Update
The primary election is over. Unfortunately, the CalRTA supported Proposition 15 did not pass. Proposition 15 was the first step toward eliminating special interest money from California statewide elections.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction race will be a runoff in November and at this time it is too close to call. Larry Aceves, Gloria Romero, and Tom Torlakson all have the possibility of qualifying for the runoff.
AB 1862 (Eng) has been set for hearing in the Senate Public Employment and Retirement Committee on June 14. This bill is the CalRTA-cosponsored legislation to allow retirees to elect the retiree member to the State Teachers’ Retirement Board.
The President’s commission to make recommendations on deficit reduction will be holding its next hearing on June 30, 2010. CalRTA has requested time to testify on Social Security solvency and equity. By equity CalRTA means repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset Social Security penalties. We will update when we know if we have been accepted to testify before the commission.
~Dave Walrath
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05/05/2010 Update
CalRTA has developed a response to the Stanford University
graduate students’ report of California’s public retirement plan’s unfunded obligations.
The report is flawed with its $500 billion unfunded obligation calculation that has been included in numerous media articles.
Please click here to view the CalRTA response on the CalRTA website.
~Dave Walrath
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04/26/2010 UpDate
Last week, SB 919 was amended to reduce pensions for specified CalPERS members. The bill has received significant media coverage. Most media coverage, however, has not clarified that CalSTRS is not affected by the proposed legislation.
CalRTA members should be aware that, in its current form, SB 919 will not affect their pensions or the pensions of any current or future CalSTRS member.
~ Dave Walrath |
04/06/2010
CalRTA Sponsors AB 1862
CalRTA is pleased to be able to co-sponsor Assembly Bill 1862 by Assembly Member Eng. The bill would allow retired educators to elect the retiree representative on the State Teachers’ Retirement Board.
While CalRTA supports the current STRB representative, there is no assurance that she will be reappointed when there is a new Governor.
CalRTA has always advocated that the representatives for CalSTRS clients should be elected by the clients being represented. AB 1862 would accomplish that for the retired representative.
The bill will be heard in Assembly Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security Committee on April 21, 2010.
~ Dave Walrath
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02/24/2010
Pension Reduction Initiatives
& Iran Divestiture
The Californians For Fiscal Responsibility announced that neither Governor Schwarzenegger nor Gubernatorial Candidate Meg Whitman would be providing financial support to the pension reduction initiatives.
While this is good news, that does not mean there will not be other interests providing financial support.
The Governor Davis recall also did not appear to have the financial support to be successful but it did find late funding to be placed on the ballot.
It is too early to count the initiatives as failed. The Senate Public Employees and Retirement Committee and the Assembly Public Employment, Retirement and Social Security Committee today held a joint hearing on Iran divestiture.
Current law requires the California State Teachers’ Retirement System and the Public Employees’ Retirement System divest from investments in companies, and not make future investments in companies, that are doing specified business in Iran. The purpose of the hearing was to determine how the retirement systems were implementing the law.
CalSTRS and PERS indicated they were implementing the law but it was a complex law that could not be implemented quickly while meeting California Constitutional requirements for fiduciary responsibility.
~ Dave Walrath |
1/21/2010 CalRTA Update
The CalRTA supported Senate Bill 810 passed the Senate Appropriations Committee this morning. It next will be heard on the Senate Floor and should pass the full Senate by January 29, 2010.
Governor Schwarzenegger proposes full funding of the State contribution to the State Teachers’ Retirement Fund and the Supplemental Benefit Maintenance Account. All members of CalRTA should identify themselves as members of CalRTA and send a postcard to the Governor thanking him. The message is:
“Retired teachers recognize the state’s fiscal difficulties and know that meeting the CalSTRS contribution commitment was difficult.
As a retired teacher I thank you, Governor Schwarzenegger, for full funding the state’s contribution to the Supplemental Benefit Maintenance Account and the Teachers’ Retirement Fund.”
The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor, State of California
State Capitol, First Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
~ Dave Walrath
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1/18/2010 CalRTA Update
Pension Initiatives Authorized for Circulation
CalRTA opposes the pension reduction initiatives that have just been authorized for circulation. The initiatives have a circulation deadline of June 14, 2010. Both initiatives are essentially the same and they do exactly what their title says:
“Reduces public pensions and retirement health care benefits.”
CalRTA urges all members not to sign any petition that starts with
“Reduces public pension and retirement health care benefits.”
CalRTA will provide more information regarding these attacks on teacher and other public employee pensions.
CalRTA will be conducting regional workshops as well as including information on these pension attacks in Contact and the Leadership newsletters.
~ Dave Walrath |
1/8/2010 CalRTA Update
While the Governor’s budget manipulates Proposition 98
and limits funding for numerous other programs,
it does include $1.25 billion for the state’s contribution to CalSTRS. Of this, approximately $630 million is for the SBMA
(Supplemental Benefit Maintenance Account )
(Purchasing Power Protection) and
an additional $57 million to SBMA
for the interest payments owed from our
successful litigation to require the state’s contribution to SBMA.
~ Dave Walrath |
12/9/09 CalRTA Update
President Obama announced a new effort to increase jobs and
reduce unemployment. There is no better way to stimulate the economy to produce new jobs than to provide funds for retirees. CalRTA urges you to contact your Representative in Congress by visiting https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
or call 202- 224-3121;
and the White House at 202-456-1111 or by visiting http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact to urge
a two-year suspension of the Windfall Elimination Provision
and the Government Pension Offset Social Security penalties.
Retirees will spend the money.
Thank you.
Dave Walrath |
11.11.09 CalRTA Update
Thank you to everyone who helped with the
November 7 Social Security Fairness Rallies.
A special thank you should be made to
Angelique and the state office staff,
Debbie Pate-Newberry, Polly Bacich and Joe Dion.
The rallies were successful and provide an impetus
for our next actions to achieve Social Security Fairness.
CalSTRS staff has developed a summary of how the new proposed pension attack initiatives would effect current and future CalSTRS members.
The analysis is attached for your information.
Please use this information for communicating with our membership.
The initiatives are at the Attorney General’s office for title and summary. They will not be circulated until very early in January.
Please include in your newsletters information urging our members
NOT to sign these initiative petitions.
~Dave Walrath |
11.6.09 CalRTA Update
The other shoe has dropped.
The anti public pension people have submitted another initiative
to the Attorney General for Title and Summary prior to circulating.
Fighting these proposals will become CalRTA’s highest state priority for 2010. This is why the CalRTA leadership created a Political Action Committee
to have the resources to fight pension attacks.
It appears we will have a reason to use the Political Action Committee funds
if the proposal qualifies for the November 2010 ballot.
There is still a long road before the proposed initiative qualifies for the ballot.
After receiving the Title and Summary
the initiative will have to gather almost 700,000 valid signatures
which is a challenging requirement.
Most successful initiatives collect more that 1,000,000 signatures
to ensure having the 700,000 valid registered voter signatures.
The next issue of the CalRTA Contact will have
a comprehensive review of the proposal.
~Dave Walrath |
10.30.09
Proposed Tax on Pensions Fails to Qualify
"The 'Tax on Pensions' proposed initiative has failed to qualify.
This was the proposal to have extortionate taxes on retiree pensions
and health care benefits.
So far there has not been a new pension attack initiative
filed with the Attorney General."
~Dave Walrath |
10.14.09
Proposed New Senior Funding
The President has asked Congress to provide a second $250 allocation to seniors. The purpose would be to provide purchasing power at a time when Social Security will not be increasing. “The President’s proposal would provide an additional year of the $250 "Economic Recovery Payments" initially enacted under the American Reinvestment & Recovery Act (ARRA). Under this proposal: "57 million people would benefit. These include 49 million Social Security beneficiaries, 5 million Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries, 2 million veterans benefit recipients, 0.5 million railroad retirement and disability beneficiaries, and also about 1 million public-employee retirees not entitled to any of the previous benefits . "
~ Dave Walrath |
09.02.09 Senate Passes AJR 10
On September 1st the State Senate passed, by a bipartisan 26-8 vote, the CalRTA sponsored Assembly Joint Resolution 10 by Assembly Member Torlakson.
AJR 10 would urge Congress to pass and President Obama to sign the Social Security Fairness Acts (HR 235 and S 484).
HR 235 and S 484 would repeal the Social Security penalties that are applied to California educators’ earned Social Security benefits.
Passing the Acts is CalRTA’s highest federal advocacy priority.
~Dave Walrath
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07.30.09 CalRTA UPDATE
HR 235 now has 300 co-sponsors.HR 235 is the CalRTA and the California Social Security Fairness Coalition’s legislation to repeal the Social Security penalties that hurt California educators and other public employees.HR 235 would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset that reduces and eliminates earned Social Security benefits.
CalRTA congratulates Representative Duncan Hunter Jr. as the most recent California co-sponsor of HR 235.
~ Dave Walrath
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07.21.09 CalSTRS UPDATE
On July 21st the State Teachers’ Retirement System announced they have a $118.8 billion portfolio to pay for retirement benefits after the fund has lost 25% of its value during 2008-09. All STRS benefits are safe.
The fund is still solvent.
Just as the fund had losses in 2000 and 2001 that were later recovered, these losses will be recovered through future investment earnings.
~ Dave Walrath
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07.07.09: CalRTA UPDATE
The McCauley Initiative to
renegotiate vested retirement benefits
failed to qualify; it is no longer a threat.
The second McCauley initiative imposing
new taxes on pension, health care
and Social Security retirement benefits, however,
is still in circulation. CalRTA opposes the second McCauley initiative
as the Association opposed the first initiative.
We can not let our guard down in
protecting our retirement benefits.
~ Dave Walrath |
