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Committee advances pension and DWD agency bills; unanimous votes
Summary
The Employment, Labor and Pensions committee advanced a package of pension and agency bills—including SB 14 (PERF/TURF technical changes), SB 69 (77 fund death benefit increase), SB 162 (DWD agency changes), and SB 214 (move administrative rules into code)—each passed by a 12-0 committee tally.
The committee heard a series of agency and pension bills and moved them forward by unanimous tallies.
Senate Bill 14, presented by Senator Rogers, would replace a 1977 $2,000 severance cap with a 120% final-year wage limit, align PERF definitions with TURF to simplify administration, allow a five-year election to revisit retirement-plan choice, and make other technical adjustments. Representative Teschka offered an amendment to treat voluntary tax-deferred contribution elections as standard payroll deductions with an opt-out by written notice; members took the amendment by consent and the committee passed the bill 12-0.
Senate Bill 69 would raise the 77 fund death benefit from $12,000 to $15,000 with annual CPI adjustments and extend DROP participation from 36 to 60 months. Supporters including the state FOP and Professional Firefighters Union said the death benefit had not changed in two decades; the committee advanced the bill 12-0.
Senate Bill 162, an agency bill for the Department of Workforce Development, includes substantive and technical changes aimed at improving customer service and preventing fraud (for example, limiting direct deposit to institutions with an Indiana branch or an approved depository), as well as removing outdated statutory references. The committee adopted a narrow amendment by consent and passed the bill 12-0. Sarah Potter of DWD told the committee the changes move administrative rules into code in compliance with an executive order and should not disrupt claimants.
Senate Bill 214 (Senator Gaskell), largely housekeeping, transfers many administrative rules verbatim into Indiana Code under a governor’s executive order to either move or repeal rules before a 12/31/2027 readoption deadline; DWD officials said operations will not change. The committee passed SB 214 12-0 and adjourned.
Votes at a glance: SB 14 — passed 12-0; SB 69 — passed 12-0; SB 162 — passed 12-0; SB 214 — passed 12-0. All four bills will proceed per chamber rules.
