Legislation
The LEOFF Plan 2 Retirement Board's Legislative Page provides an overview
of current and previous legislative actions related to LEOFF Plan 2. This page
also provides an overview of other legislation that may be of interest to LEOFF
Plan 2 members or beneficiaries.
2009 Legislative Session
Updated May 22, 2009
The 2009 Regular Session adjourned sine die on April 26, 2009. The LEOFF Plan 2 Board
recommended and endorsed eight bills for the 2009 Legislative Session.
For more information about a bill, you can click on the Bill Title to see a
summary. Once bill numbers have been assigned, you will be able to click
on the Bill Number to link to the Legislature's Bill Information page for additional
information. How a Bill Becomes a Law.
Information on the pension impact from the Governor’s proposed budget is available on
the Office of the State Actuary's Web site.
Bills Recommended /Endorsed by the LEOFF Plan 2 Retirement Board:
Other Bills of Interest:
House
Bill
Senate
Bill
Bill Title SB 6161 Actuarial Funding of Pension Systems (Passed)
- LEOFF Plan 2 Retirement Board Bill Summaries -
Catastrophic Disability Medical Insurance (EHB 1679 - SB 5541)
Members who suffer catastrophic duty-related disabilities may not have access
to health care insurance. This bill extends the option to purchase health care
insurance from the State (PEBB) to members who are catastrophically disabled
in the line of duty and their spouses and dependent children. The member and
dependents pay the full cost of the insurance.
Status: EHB 1679/SB 5441 did not pass.
Duty Disability Conversion (HB 1678 - SB 5542)
Members who retired as a result of duty related disabilities prior to the creation
of duty disability retirements are not receiving the favorable tax treatment on their
benefits to which they are entitled. This bill would reclassify eligible Service and
Disability retirements to Occupational Disability retirements for the purpose of
allowing affected retirees to take advantage of favorable tax treatment on the first
10% of the member’s salary.
Status:
HB 1678 passed and was signed by the Governor on April 15th.
(Chapter 95, laws of 2009, effective July 26, 2009)
SB 5542 was vetoed by the Governor on April 17th in order to avoid confusion with
the companion bill HB 1678 which had already been signed into law.
Fish and Wildlife Service Credit Transfer (SHB 1953 - SB 5309)
Enforcement Officers with the State Department of Fish & Wildlife became
members of LEOFF Plan 2 in 2003. Enforcement Officers were
previously members of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS).
Enforcement Officers were not provided with an option in 2003 to transfer
any past PERS service to LEOFF Plan 2. All other groups of employees
whose membership was changed from PERS to LEOFF Plan 2 in the past,
such as port police and fire fighters, higher education police and fire fighters,
and emergency medical technicians were provided with an option to transfer
their past eligible service from PERS to LEOFF Plan 2.
This bill, developed jointly with the Select Committee on Pension Policy (SCPP),
provides Enforcement Officers at the State Department of Fish & Wildlife with
the opportunity to transfer their past service as Enforcement Officers from
PERS Plan 2/3 to LEOFF Plan 2. Transferring members will be required to pay
the greater of the difference in contributions that the member made to PERS 2/3
and what the member would have made had the service been rendered in
LEOFF 2, plus interest, or the entire balance of the member’s PERS 3 defined
contribution account. Member, employer, and state contribution rates will increase
to the extent necessary to fund the difference in the value of the service credit
transferred between PERS and LEOFF Plan 2, and the member contributions
transferred into LEOFF Plan 2.
Status:
SHB 1953 passed and was signed by the Governor on April 21st
(Chapter 157, laws of 2009, effective July 26, 2009).
$150,000 Death Benefit Inflation Adjustment (EHB 1547 - SB 5312)
The $150,000 lump-sum death benefit paid to survivors of public employees
who die in the line of duty is not adjusted for inflation and has not increased since
it was created in 1996. This bill, developed jointly with the Select Committee
on Pension Policy (SCPP), increases the amount of the death benefit to $175,000.
Status:
EHB 1547/SB 5312 did not pass.
Interruptive Military Service Credit (HB 1548 - SB 5313)
Members whose public employment is interrupted by military service are required
to pay member contributions in order to purchase service credit. This bill, developed
jointly with the Select Committee on Pension Policy (SCPP), eliminates the member
obligation to pay for interruptive military service credit if the member served during a
period of war. Employers will still be required to pay the employer contributions on the
service. This bill also refunds the member contributions already paid by a member to
purchase interruptive military service credit. In the case of a military death, the survivor
would also be relieved of paying the member cost for interruptive military service credit.
Status:
HB 1548 passed and was signed by the Governor on April 24th
(Chapter 205, laws of 2009, effective July 26, 2009).
Military Service Death Benefit (HB 1551 - SB 5314)
Beneficiaries of members who die while serving on active duty with the United States
Military do not qualify for duty-related death benefits. This bill, developed jointly with the
Select Committee on Pension Policy (SCPP), eliminates the actuarial reduction for the
survivor of a member who left the employ of a retirement system-covered employer to
serve in the National Guard or military reserves, and who die while honorably serving
in a defined period of war.
Status:
HB 1551 passed and was signed by the Governor on April 25th
(Chapter 226, laws of 2009, effective July 26, 2009) .
Survivor L&I Benefits/Remarriage Prohibition (HB 1212)
Surviving spouses of LEOFF Plan 2 members who are killed in the line of duty are
entitled to receive a monthly benefit of at least 60% of member's wages. This benefit
is paid for the lifetime of the survivor, or until remarriage. This bill allows surviving
spouses of the Law Enforcement Officers' and Fire Fighters' Retirement System and the
Washington State Patrol Retirement System who are eligible for death benefits under
the Industrial Insurance Act to continue to receive the benefit monthly for life regardless
of whether they remarry. This applies to remarriages entered into on or after the effective
date of the Act.
Status:
HB 1212 did not pass.
Domestic Partner Benefits/LEOFF Plan 2 (EHB 1616)
Domestic partners are not treated the same as spouses for all pension benefits. There
are six distinct areas in which spouses and domestic partners are treated differently
under pension law including (1)Survivor Health Care, (2) Survivor Retirements,
(3) Purchase of Military Service, (4) Member Contributions, (5) $150,000 Death Benefit,
(6) Service and Disability Retirements. This bill gives the domestic partners of
LEOFF Plan 2 members the same rights and options as spouses for pension benefits.
Status:
EHB 1616 passed and was signed by the Governor on May 18.
(Chapter 523, laws of 2009, effective July 26, 2009)
- Other Interst Bill Summaries -
Actuarial Funding of Pension System (SB 6161)
This bill changed the methods and assumptions for the actuarial funding and revised
pension contribution rates for all the state retirement systems, EXCEPT LEOFF Plan 2.
In all Plans except LEOFF 2 this bill would lower contribution rates in the 2009-2011
Biennium and increase member contribution rates in future biennia beginning in the
2013-2015 Biennium.
Status:
SB 6161 passed and was signed by the Governor on May 19.
(Effective July 1, 2009)
Previous Legislative Sessions
Summary information about LEOFF Plan 2 Retirement Board related bills passed
or considered during previous legislative sessions is available at the following links:
Other Legislative Links
During or between sessions, if you would like more information on one of the bills
listed on this site, you can visit the Washington State Legislature's Web site at
http://www.leg.wa.gov/, a public access service providing bill text and summaries,
initiatives, bill status, amendments, legislative calendars, committee schedules,
and other legislative information.
Overview of the Legislative Process
You may also find published fiscal notes at http://www.ofm.wa.gov/fns/.
You can voice your opinion on any bill by calling the Legislative Hotline at
1-800-562-6000 or by contacting your legislators. To find your legislators go to
http://www.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx.
You can also watch or listen to hearings on the Internet at http://www.tvw.org.
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