Employee Benefits Committee adopts rule clarifying mandate process and takes jurisdiction on multiple health and retirement drafts

The Employee Benefits Committee voted to amend its internal rule language to better align the deadline process for health‑insurance mandates with statutory requirements and to ensure required actuarial and committee reports are appended to measures before filing. The amendment was adopted by roll call vote; the clerk recorded ayes and nays and the chair declared the motion carried.

Chairman Cleary and Beth (Legislative Council) explained the change clarifies that required materials appended to bills may include an actuarial report produced for this committee as well as cost‑benefit analyses prepared under state law. Beth said the draft did not change the statutory deadlines but added language to reflect the committee’s responsibilities in ensuring required reports accompany measures that impose health‑insurance mandates.

After adopting the procedural amendment, the panel conducted its jurisdictional review of bill drafts and voted to authorize actuarial or tax analyses for a series of measures so impacted agencies can return reports at a future meeting. Many of the jurisdiction votes were taken by voice; the committee took jurisdiction on bills including (selected examples):

- Bill draft 33 (automatic renewal of pre‑tax dental and vision elections): jurisdiction taken to allow a tax/IRS consultant review. (Motion passed.) - Bill draft 43 (Volunteer First Responder Retirement Plan administered by PERS): jurisdiction taken for actuarial valuation. (Motion passed.) - Bill draft 56 (prohibit cost sharing for diagnostic/supplemental breast exams in PERS plans): jurisdiction taken; staff noted prior sizeable fiscal notes. (Motion passed.) - Bill draft 64 and 85 (public‑safety multiplier and vesting changes): jurisdiction taken for actuarial impact analysis. (Motions passed.) - Bill draft 87 (move PERS membership to a non‑grandfathered ACA‑compliant plan while retaining certain benefits; effective 01/01/2029): jurisdiction taken for actuarial analysis. (Motion passed.) - Bill draft 106 (transfer scenarios to reduce Highway Patrol Troopers plan unfunded liability): jurisdiction taken; PERS said it will present multiple scenarios showing funded‑ratio impacts. (Motion passed.) - Bill draft 108 (limit deferred compensation providers to one): committee voted not to take jurisdiction, concluding the draft is primarily a policy/administrative matter rather than actuarial or IRS related. - Several health‑mandate bills (prosthetics, fertility treatments, fertility preservation) and TFFR tier proposals were also routed for actuarial review.

Beth said the next step is for Legislative Council to assign the drafts to impacted agencies (PERS or TFFR) to conduct actuarial and tax analyses. Those reports will be presented at one or two future committee meetings this summer and fall; sponsors and stakeholders may then provide testimony and the committee will make recommendations that will be appended to any measures the sponsor chooses to introduce during session.

Vote on Joint Rule 2‑11 amendment (roll call as recorded by the clerk): recorded ayes included Senator Beckettall, Senator Beauche, Senator Cory, Senator Davison, Senator Rohrs, Representative Bail, Representative Grinberg, Representative Shower, Representative Warrie and Chairman Cleary; recorded nays included Representative Johnson and Representative Vedder. The chair declared adoption.