Committee hears proponent testimony for bill to bar public-employee pension "pickups" and require full disclosure

Summary

Proponents at a House Insurance and Pensions Committee hearing urged passage of House Bill 473 to end employer-paid employee pension contributions (the "pickup" and "pickup on the pickup") and to require full disclosure of total compensation; lawmakers pressed witnesses on local control, tax effects and hiring competitiveness.

Chair Peterson convened the House Insurance and Pensions Committee and heard proponent testimony on House Bill 473, which would prohibit local employers from paying an employee's public retirement contribution (commonly called a "pickup") and would bar a secondary "pickup on the pickup." Two proponent witnesses told the committee the change would improve transparency and long-term fiscal stability for local governments.

Harland Waite, who identified himself as a current board president of the Ashbelle County Educational Service Center and a longtime local school-board official, told the committee he supports the bill because pickups obscure the true value of executive compensation. Waite cited a Jefferson Gazette article (02/19/2026) showing a treasurer's published annual salary of $110,131.04 and said an additional $11,013.10 of pickup compensation was not noted in the paper. "I…

Committee hears proponent testimony for bill to bar public-employee pension "pickups" and require full disclosure

Summary

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