Legislative
Legislative Chairs: Richard Stokes, Dennis Keithley
LCRTA begins its membership year September 1, and the Legislative Action Committee will be active. Please make sure that Carolyn Borchardt, Communications Chairperson has your current email address. Members not having email will still receive their information via the calling tree. To serve on the LCRTA calling tree, please contact one of the chairmen listed above. All individual efforts of LCRTA members, regarding phone calls, emails, and letters sent to our legislators have helped us consistently win our modest COLA or one-time check until 2023. Now really hard work begins!
Those members who have agreed to serve their areas as members of the Legislative Committee are included in the Legislative Directory, or you may call any member of the committee for information. The latest directory color is ?. If you are a member and do not have a current directory, please use our email contact form located on the Officers page and request a current directory.
May 17, 2023 Update from IRTA Executive Director Laura Penman and IRTA Lobbyist Steve Beebe (Emphasis by D. Keithley, Area 1 Director)
The Indiana General Assembly adjourned sine die in the early morning of April 28th without providing any pension enhancement to retired educators or public employees. This was particularly frustrating because most legislators supported a 13th check for both years of the biennium and the money was available in the Supplemental Reserve Account, which is a dedicated account created specifically to un pension enhancements.
To be fair, it is important to note that the legislature focused on pension stability, appropriating nearly $3-billion to buy down the unfunded liability of the Pre-96 Fund and included language in the final budget bill directing the Indiana Public Retirement System (INPRS) to provide data and projections about the feasibility of providing a permanent, statutory COLA in .5% increments.
HB 1028, co-authored by Rep. Bob Cherry, Rep. Mike Karickhoff, Rep. Jennifer Meltzer, and Rep. Greg Porter, sailed through the House without a single "no" vote. But the dynamic was much different in the Senate despite 100% support from the Senate Democrats and most of the Senate Republicans. HB 1028 was to given a hearing in the Appropriations Committee and top Republican leadership stated that "the legislature is getting out of the 13th check business."
IRTA will continue to each out to legislators in the coming months to discuss ways to secure future pension enhancements. During this time, we ask members to thank those legislators that continue to support us, particularly those mentioned in the previous paragraph along with Sen. Mike Bohacek, Sen. Jim Tomes, Sen. Mike Crider, lSen. Dan Dernulc, Sen. ave Niezgodski and Sen. Shelli Yoder. We are also asking members to contact the legislators who rejected our requests. This includes the Senate Republic Leadership of Sen. Rod Bray, Sen. Chris Garten, and Sen. Ryan Mishler. Please write and share your concerns and frustration wit the failure to include language in the budget to authorize a 13th check. But as always, please e professional and respectful.
We must continue to stay strong as we move into unknown territory. It is imperative that we continue our legislative advocacy for retired educators. lWe may have gotten knocked down in 2023, but it is important to get up and come back stronger than ever.
RETIREE HOMEWORK (September 2023)
by Dennis Keithley, Area I Director
The authors of the failed House bill 1028, the "13th Check Bill," should be thanked for their support. We are told by the retirement fund that there are enough funds in the retirement Supplemental Reserve Account to fund a 13th check if voted on in the 2024 legislative session. In addition to thanking the following, ask them to please consider authoring a similar bill in the 2024 legislative session to APPROPRIATE FUNDS FROM THE SUPPLEMENTAL RESERVE ACCOUNT TO FUND A 13TH CHECK FOR RETIREES. (The funding is there, it re just needs a bill to appropriate the funds.) -- Also consider contacting your own senators or representatives expressing your concern and/or thanks.
Please send your email to the following thanking them for their support and asking to author a similar bill in the 2024 legislature:
Representative Bob Cherry [email protected]
Representative Mike Karickhoff [email protected]
Representative Jennifer Meltzer [email protected]
Representative Greg Porter [email protected]
Please send an email to the following Senators for their support of the 13th check during the 2023 legislative session:
Senator Jon Ford [email protected]
Senator Vaneta Becker [email protected]
Senator Ron Alting [email protected]
Senator Mike Bohacek [email protected]
Senator Jim Tomes [email protected]
Senator Mike Crider [email protected]
Dan Dernulc [email protected]
Senator Dave Niezgodski [email protected]
Senator Shelli Yoder [email protected]
We are also asking members to MAIL the Senate Republican Leadership who rejected our 13th check requests expressing your concern:
Senator Rod Bray, Indiana State Senate, 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204-2785
Senator Chris Garten, Indiana State Senate, 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204-2785
Senator Ryan Mishler, Indiana State Senate, 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204-278
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How to Follow Bills in 2024 Indiana Legislature
The 2024 Indiana Legislature is in session as of 1/9/2024. The Legislature may adjourn as early as mid-March. It is imperative that you let your views be known now on Bills of interest to you.
Guidelines
If you are interested in EDUCATION-RELATED BILLS followed by Indiana State Teachers Association,
go to: https://www.ista-in.org/our-advocacy/bill-watch
[You may select specific topics or go to the bottom and select All Bills for a daily list of the status of Bills]
For an up-to-the-minute tracking of where the Bill is and when it will be heard go to: https://legiscan.com/IN
For a list of Committees and their members go to: iga.in.gov/legislative/2024/committees
Don’t limit yourself to only your Representative or Senator. Do include your name, address, phone and email address in each communique. If you have the same message for various legislators, copy your comments on a word document then copy and paste to each legislator to whom you are mailing. D. Keithley, IRTA Legislative Committee)
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How To Navigate the Legislative Session
- Step-by-step document available by clicking here.
2024 Legislative Schedule
The 2024 legislative session is quickly approaching. Here are the important dates to know while following the Senate: (update to follow)
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From Dennis Keithley, IRTA Area I Director
Here is the link for a 10-minute "Retired Side Chat" with IRTA Exec Director, IRTA Lobbyist & IRTA Legislative Chair. This should be helpful in understanding our pension situation and our request for the 13th check:
Retiredside Chat Episode 3 - Legislative Updates - YouTube
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