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Committee retains middle‑tier pension restoration bill for budget vehicle after broad public testimony
Summary
The committee voted to retain House Bill 727 — a refile of prior year proposals to restore benefits for the middle tier of Group 2 public‑safety retirement members — and panelists urged using the budget as the vehicle for a final fix.
The Executive Departments and Administration Committee voted to retain House Bill 727 after extensive testimony from public‑safety unions and stakeholders seeking restoration of benefits lost in 2011 for the “middle tier” of Group 2 retirement members.
Representative Steve Pearson, introducing the bill on behalf of Representative Foote, said the measure is substantially similar to House Bill 436 from a prior session that passed the House and was later removed in the Senate. "When you have a piece of legislation that is going to be addressed in bill 1 or 2, this is a procedural move to allow the process that better fits the solution to take charge," Pearson said as he moved to retain the bill.
Nut graf: The bill addresses a cohort of public‑safety employees hired under terms that changed retroactively in 2011; unions and current and former public‑safety employees told the committee reinstating benefits is a top priority and urged the committee to let the governor and budget writers include a funded fix in the upcoming budget. Witnesses included representatives of firefighters, state police and corrections personnel who asked the committee to retain the bill while the governor’s office and stakeholders refine a final proposal.
Mark Kavanaugh, deputy counsel at the New Hampshire Retirement System, said his office had just received actuarial reports and would provide a fiscal worksheet after reviewing any amendment. He also cautioned the committee about statutory cutoff dates and technical drafting choices that will require careful language work if the committee or budget writers move forward.
After public testimony from union leaders and public‑safety representatives, Representative Pearson moved to retain the bill; the clerk called the roll and the motion carried with committee members voting in favor. Committee members said retention would allow the budget process — the likely vehicle for a comprehensive, funded fix — to proceed without duplicative committee action.
Ending: The committee retained House Bill 727 to coordinate the legislative approach with the governor’s budget and actuarial work; stakeholders and NHRS pledged to provide technical fiscal information to support final decisions.
