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Police and firefighter groups press for higher COLAs, sponsors say funding is pending
Summary
Police, firefighters and retired-officer groups urged changes to post-retirement adjustments for Police & Fire and the State Patrol plans; testimony emphasized recruitment, retention and loss of purchasing power, while staff and sponsors said funding remains to be identified and the bill was laid over.
Public safety organizations and retired-officer groups testified to the commission on April 21 in favor of legislation to adjust post-retirement cost-of-living protections for police, firefighters and the state patrol.
Sponsors described two main changes: move police and fire post-retirement adjustments to a variable COLA (a range between 1% and 1.5% tied to Social Security) and increase the State Patrol COLA from 1.25% to a fixed 1.5%. Erin Leonard of the Minnesota State Retirement System said the cost to increase the State Patrol COLA to 1.5% would be about $4.6 million per year over 15 years.
Recruitment and retirees' purchasing power: David Titus, executive director of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association and a retired officer, framed the bill as necessary for recruitment and retention: "Strong and fair pensions are essential to recruiting and retaining police and fire personnel," he said. Brian Rice, representing retired police pension recipients, and union leaders for firefighters emphasized that many public safety retirees do not receive Social Security and have seen a significant erosion of purchasing power during recent inflationary periods.
Committee action: Witnesses and sponsors asked the commission to support the principle of protecting retirees’ purchasing power, but reiterated the bill is contingent on funding. The commission received testimony from MSRS and multiple public-safety organizations and laid the bill over pending appropriations and finance decisions.
Provenance: Testimony and staff fiscal estimates appeared in the hearing record beginning with the bill introduction and MSRS testimony through later public-safety witnesses (transcript segments beginning roughly SEG 891 through SEG 1402).
