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Witnesses urge expanding PERS police classification; PERS warns of federal qualification risk
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Summary
Senate Bill 15‑69 would add several classes (forensic staff, fingerprint technicians, force protection officers, certain prosecutors) to the PERS "police and fire" classification. Many witnesses described trauma and safety risks; Oregon PERS cautioned that some added roles may not meet the federal definition of qualified public safety employees and could jeopardize plan qualification. Committee scheduled an informational session and possible work session Monday.
Senate Bill 15‑69, which would expand the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) "police and fire" classification to several non‑sworn and civilian roles, drew extensive testimony on Feb. 4 from affected workers and agency representatives — along with a caution from Oregon PERS about federal tax‑qualification risks.
Whitney introduced the measure and Heather Case, senior policy advisor at Oregon PERS, told the committee that reclassifying certain employees to police and fire would change retirement reductions and multipliers, producing roughly a 20% increase in benefits for those moved from general service to police and fire membership (including a reduced retirement age of 55 and a 1.8% multiplier versus 1.5%). She warned the committee that some job classes proposed in the bill may not meet the federal definition of a "qualified public safety employee" under Internal Revenue Code Section 72(t), and that adding non‑qualifying positions risks the tax‑qualified status of Oregon PERS.
Force protection officers Gary McCool and Zachary Weitzel described armed protection duties at Kingsley Field and said the classification update is an equity and recruitment issue. Jamie Sage, a police identification technician, recounted routine exposure to violent crime scenes, handling blood and bodily fluids, and threats on the job. Several Assistant Attorneys General (Jamie Kimberly, John Casolino, Dan Wendel) said the 23 prosecutors in the Criminal Justice Division perform prosecutorial duties statewide — including autopsies and crime‑scene participation — and asked for inclusion; DOJ witnesses clarified the request is limited to those 23 prosecutors, not the entire department.
Local government representatives (League of Oregon Cities and Association of Oregon Counties) asked for detailed fiscal estimates. Justin Lowe (AOC) said a 10‑county survey suggested roughly 620 full‑time equivalents statewide could be affected and warned of the employer contribution impact while PERS rates remain high. Chair Taylor said the committee will hold an informational hearing and a possible work session on Monday to get precise cost estimates, detailed counts of who would be included and answers on whether the bill would run afoul of federal qualification rules.
The committee closed the public hearing and adjourned for the day.
