Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Votes Roundup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Votes at a glance: Senate approves several technical measures on PERS and suspends reading requirement for multiple bills
Summary
On the floor the Senate approved a motion to suspend section‑by‑section reading for a group of bills and passed technical public‑employee retirement system measures (SB 851 and SB 852) alongside the bills covered in other articles.
The Senate took several procedural and final‑passage actions during the session.
Suspension motion: Senator Bonham moved to suspend the constitutional requirement that bills be read section‑by‑section on final passage for a list of bills (Senate Bill 64, Senate Bill 166, Senate Bill 168, Senate Bill 851, and Senate Bill 852). The clerk recorded the motion as carried; the roll call announced 25 ayes with Senators Robinson and Thatcher recorded as voting nay and Senators Frederick and Linthicum recorded as excused for that vote.
PERS technical measures: The Senate passed two technical measures related to the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS).
- Senate Bill 851 (administration of PERS member account data): Carried by Senator Pham on third reading as a technical fix to employer reporting and to raise the maximum amount the Public Employees Retirement Board may waive for recovery of overpayments. The clerk recorded the bill as passed with 23 ayes (certified roll call reflected 23 ayes and multiple nays/absences as announced).
- Senate Bill 852 (post‑retirement death benefits under PERS): Carried by Senator Hayden, the bill updates statutory treatment of certain installment and lump‑sum payments for survivors, aligns a federal reference to require survivor status as spouse (where applicable), and allows a surviving spouse to make certain elections if a member dies before making an election. The clerk recorded 27 ayes when declaring SB 852 passed.
Formal outcomes recorded on the floor: Suspension motion carried; Senate Bills 64, 166, 168, 851 and 852 were declared passed by the clerk with the vote tallies announced on the record for each measure as noted above.
Where applicable the clerk declared each bill to have received a constitutional majority and the measures will proceed for enrollment and transmittal as required by Senate procedure.
