Amendments to SB 1130 FRS Reform

Amendments to SB 1130 FRS Reform
On February 23, 2011, in DROP Basics - Civilian Participants, DROP Basics - Special Risk Participants,Florida Retirement System - Pension Plan, FRS Investment Plan Basics, by FRS Options News
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Today the Florida Senate returned a “Strike-All” Amendment to Senate Bill 1130 which is meant to reform the Florida Retirement System. The purpose of the “Strike-All” was to amend the language and stipulations of the original bill, filed by Senator Jeremy Ring. There were also 5 additional amendments proposed changing other aspects of the proposal.
? The biggest change, as we read it, would indicate the amended version will allow for up to 500 hours of accumulated leave payments to be used in the computation of the Average Final Compensation. (lines 208-248, and 274-308). And further appears that for service prior to July 1, 2011 overtime is included.
This seems to be a significant compromise to the original proposal, but excludes overtime after July 1. It does not mitigate the fact that overtime is time worked for compensation earned, and therefore, as compensation, should be used for the AFC calculation.
? Amendment 581812 to SB 1130 appears to stipulate that “employee retirement contributions for any member of the Regular Class or Special Risk Class may not exceed 2% of such member’s annual state compensation. This line amends and addends the language mandating employee contributions.
We see this as meaning the employee contributions cannot EXCEED 2% of compensation, and allows room that the contribution may be less.
? Amendment 641980 of SB 1130 looks to raise the vesting in the Pension Plan from 6 years to 8 years, but appears to allow for “grandfathering” in all those who would have been vested under the old law at as of July 1, 2011.
It would appear this is a compromise between the current 6 years, and Governor Scott’s proposal for 10 years for vesting.
The other pertinent points would remain basically the same as those originally proposed inFlorida Senate Bill 1130, but the bill is still in the committee with no votes yet taken. We consider it a battle victory for members of the Florida Retirement System who have called and written their Senators and made their feelings know. Senator Ring acknowledged the high number of calls he and other legislators have received. The war is still on. Keep manning the phones!

Committee Approves SB 1130, Rep files HB 1405.
On March 11, 2011, in DROP Basics - Civilian Participants, DROP Basics - Special Risk Participants,Florida Retirement System - Pension Plan, FRS Investment Plan Basics, Uncategorized, by FRS Options News
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The Senate Committee on Government Oversight and Accountability approved a version of Senator Ring’s proposed Senate Bill 1130 today by a vote of 12 to 1. This was done on the heels of House Bill 1405 filed by Representative Workman from Brevard. We are not experts on the legislative process, but believe the bill will now go to the Budget Committee for their approval.

As we read the final version of SB 1130, and the myriad amendments we have pieced together we believe it proposes the following important aspects :
? The proposal eliminates the Pension Plan for all employees hired after July 1, 2011 that make more than $75,000 per year and mandates participation in the FRS Investment Plan for those employees. A last minute amendment has preserved the Pension Plan for those making less than $75,000, UNLESS you are in the Elected Officers Class, the Senior Management Class. Member those classes are required to participate in the Investment Plan is mandatory regardless of Income.
? A notable change is the proposal now allows 300 hours of overtime and up to 500 hours of accrued leave time in the computation of Average Final Compensation for service before July 1, 2011. It does away with all accumulated annual leave pay for service after that date.
? Employees will make contributions into their FRS Investment Plan. The contribution schedule is 0% on the first $40,000 of compensation, 2% on compensation from $40,000 to $75,000, and 4% on compensation over $75,000. They amended the original version to contain language that seems to limit the employee contribution to no more that 2% of total compensation for regular and special risk members, and a maximum of 4% of total compensation for those in the Elected Official and Senior Management Groups.
? There is also some new language amended to read that NO employee contributions would be required for years in which the plan is 100% funded. That amendment would raise more questions to us than it answers, but let’s hope it is as simple as it sounds.
? The vesting schedule for employee contributions is immediate, and for employer contributions vesting is on a graduated scale as follows:
Less than 3 complete years of service …………0%
Upon completion of 3 years ………………………..40%
Upon completion of 4 years ……………………….80%
100% vested after the completion of 5 years of service.
? Contributions made by the employer will be set at rates similar to the current contribution guidelines, but would be less the amount contributed by the employee.
? The Normal Retirement Age does not INCREASE to 65 for regular members or to age 60 for special risk, for employees HIRED after July 1, 2011. It appears the minimum years-of-service and the age requirements will no longer change.
? The bill does not reduce service credit for Special Risk from 3% to 2%, nor eliminate other classes or reduce them. The elected Officers Class and Senior Management appear to remain unchanged.
? Importantly, it does not appear to effect any changes to the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA)!

While we are aware that changes are not desired, these changes have improved considerably from the original proposal, and we are convinced your calls and letters, and voicing your opinions and concerns has played a role. With this small victory now is not the time to let your guard down. There is a long road ahead. HB 1405 lurks in the wings. We will have more about that and how these two bills might meet each other in a Conference Committee. We encourage you to now focus on the members of the budget committee, and make even more calls!

Representative Ritch Workman from Brevard has introducedHouse Bill 1405 to the Florida Legislature. While initially it appeared to mirror the Governors recommendation, there are several significant differences. As we read HB 1405, we believe it proposes the following important aspects:
? It does not do away with the Pension Plan for new hires after July 1. It seems the Pension Plan will still be an option, and the Investment Plan will not be mandatory.
? The service credit for Special Risk members appears to remain at 3%. All other membership classes are reduced to 1.6% after July 1, 2011. Service credit for prior years is maintained, but future service will be credited at the new rates.
? We can find no language that eliminates the use of overtime or unused leave time in the calculation of Average Final Compensation.

As with the Governor’s proposal:
? The Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) goes away after July 1, 2011 for those not already participating at that date. If you are participating in the DROP prior to that date, you can stay in it for your full 60 month term.
? COLA is prorated as in the Governors plan. You will get credit for Cola based on a calculation of years of service prior to July 1, 2011 as a percentage of total years of service, multiplied by 3%.
? Employee contributions are 5% of gross compensation for all employees across the board.

Obviously, the current proposals before the House and Senate differ substantially. In order for a bill to become law, it must be approved by both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the exact same language. If they are not the same, as these two are not, they could be forced into conference, where political deal making can happen (like the last minute interest rate cut for DROP that was proposed in conference last year).
“For a bill to become an act it must be passed by both houses in precisely the same words and figures. The second house frequently amends and returns the bill to the house of origin. In the case of bills with substantial differences, the shortcut of a conference committee likely will be taken almost immediately. Conference committees are intended to reconcile differences. This suggests a give-and-take process because if a majority of the conferees from either house refuses to budge, the conference would be stalemated and the bill could fail. However, this rarely happens.”
We reiterate our plea to contact your Senators and Legislators and make yourself heard! Let your house members know you do not support HB 1405!

Question, from what I'm reading then,
The proposal eliminates the Pension Plan for all employees hired after July 1, 2011 that make more than $75,000 per year and mandates participation in the FRS Investment Plan for those employees.

Does this mean if I'm making more then 75K now I will not be forced into a 401k? I have 22 yrs and it scared the crap out of me yesterday when I first read the news. I was thinking I would be forced into a 401K and lose everything. So am I to understand this is for people hired AFTER July 1,2011 and it wont effect me? If it does, I would retire June 30th,2011 to save my defined benefits and have to work somewhere else to make up the lose. Any clarification would be greatly appreciated. I love what I do for a living and would hate to leave but I would have no choice as I have a family to provide for.

I know this site can be classless at times but it can also be a great resource for information when used correctly. And right now this is some scary sh@t coming out of Tallahassee. I just can't believe after all these years they are trying to pull the rug from up under us. I have NO PROBLEM paying my fair share but I will tell you this, I WILL NEVER VOTE FLORIDA REPUBLICAN ANYTHING EVER AGAIN. Voted Alex Sink btw.

Weakened Pension Reform Bill Moves Through Senate Committee
Bill falls short of $1.3 billion of savings proposed by Gov. Rick Scott
BY: GRAY ROHRER | POSTED: MARCH 11, 2011 3:55 AM
TAGS:
DEFERRED RETIREMENT OPTION PROGRAM, FLORIDA RETIREMENT SYSTEM, FLORIDA SENATE, GOV. RICK SCOTT, NEWS, PENSION REFORM, SB 1130, SEN. GARY SIPLIN, SEN. JACK LATVALA, SEN. JEREMY RING, SEN. JIM NORMAN, SENATE BUDGET COMMITTEE, SENATE GOVERNMENTAL OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE,GOVERNMENT
A Senate pension reform bill that was already short of the savings included in Gov. Rick Scott's budget proposal passed through its first committee Thursday, and was weakened further in the process.

Gov. Scott has eyed $1.3 billion worth of savings to the Florida Retirement System, but Senate Bill 1130 does not include many of his budget proposal's cost-saving measures -- like eliminating the Deferred Retirement Option Program, ending cost of living adjustment increases and reducing annual accrual rates to 1.6 percent for most workers.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate, who chairs the Government Oversight and Accountability Committee, requires the 655,000 participants in the state pension system to contribute a portion of their salaries to their retirement, but that provision is still less than the contribution rates called for by Scott.

The Senate bill calls for regular-class or special-risk workers to contribute 2 percent of their salaries up to $75,000. Employees in those classes who earn more than that would contribute 4 percent of their salary over $75,000 to their pension. Scott's plan would require all FRS members to contribute 5 percent of their pay to the system. Before Thursday, contribution rates were not specified in the bill, but amendments offered by Sen. Jack Latvala, R-St. Petersburg, were tacked onto the legislation.

Ring said he was pleased with the extensive public hearings and testimony -- 16 hours' worth by his estimation -- and thought that the changes in the bill reflected the input and concerns of unions and local government officials. He had hopes of a unanimous vote, but was disappointed when Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, cast the sole vote against the bill.

“I’d like an appreciation of the fact that we didn’t rush this process at all,” Ring said.

Siplin quickly exited the committee meeting after the vote and did not take questions from reporters.

Originally, SB 1130 also eliminated the practice of including overtime pay and unused benefits as part of an employee's base salary in determining a pension benefit, but another amendment added Thursday allowed for $300 of overtime to be included in base salary calculations.

Senators were quick to point out that they did not want to fix Florida's $3.6 billion budget deficit solely on the backs of government workers. Sen. Jim Norman, R-Tampa, added an amendment that would halt employee contributions into their pension plans after the FRS became 100 percent funded. The FRS is currently funded at 87 percent of its liabilities.

“If the system is 100 percent funded, the contributions would stop, it’s that simple,” Norman said.

Notably, a bill that was derided by a room full of members of police and firefighter unions last month was roundly applauded Thursday after the amendments were tacked on.

Ring said the bill as currently constructed could provide savings of "hundreds of millions of dollars," but he acknowledged that the bill could change again once updated revenue numbers roll in later this month and SB 1130 goes before the Senate Budget Committee. Any savings not found in the pension system are savings that must be found elsewhere in the budget.

"I'd say that's fair," Ring said.

411 FridayLamberti, Al
To: BSOEveryone

Legislation Update – Florida lawmakers returned to Tallahassee this week to begin what may be one of the most contentious sessions on record. Legislators must overcome the nearly $4 billion budget shortfall, at the same time deal with the controversial issues of state pensions and Medicaid. As I have said before, I will continue to be actively engaged during session to oppose any changes to the current Florida Retirement System or any legislation that would adversely affect public safety. :roll:

Al, you are so full of crap. Other than your 411 Friday you have never once come out publicly in defense of our pensions.

Question, from what I'm reading then,
The proposal eliminates the Pension Plan for all employees hired after July 1, 2011 that make more than $75,000 per year and mandates participation in the FRS Investment Plan for those employees.

Does this mean if I'm making more then 75K now I will not be forced into a 401k? I have 22 yrs and it scared the crap out of me yesterday when I first read the news. I was thinking I would be forced into a 401K and lose everything. So am I to understand this is for people hired AFTER July 1,2011 and it wont effect me? If it does, I would retire June 30th,2011 to save my defined benefits and have to work somewhere else to make up the lose. Any clarification would be greatly appreciated. I love what I do for a living and would hate to leave but I would have no choice as I have a family to provide for.

I know this site can be classless at times but it can also be a great resource for information when used correctly. And right now this is some scary sh@t coming out of Tallahassee. I just can't believe after all these years they are trying to pull the rug from up under us. I have NO PROBLEM paying my fair share but I will tell you this, I WILL NEVER VOTE FLORIDA REPUBLICAN ANYTHING EVER AGAIN. Voted Alex Sink btw.

Here are questions from some people in the FRS pension system & answers given by FRS Options that may help you with some questions you may have. Also look at the video of the Senate Oversight & Accountability 3-10-11 that someone from DOC posted today.(http://www.flsenate.gov/committees/show/GO)
By the way,I agree with you 100%. I have been a Republican for over 30 years and can't believe it either. I also voted for Alex Sink.

Showing 36 comments

trying to hang in there 1 day ago
There is nothing about the punitive, destructive BILL HB 1405 on either the PBA or FOP websites ? Whats going on in these Unions ? Do they not care ? Or are they just asleep at the wheel ?

BoBBe 1 day ago


According to the below text from the SB, we replace line 301 with the following ammendment:

1 Senate Amendment to Amendment (200064)
2
3 Delete line 301
4 and insert:
5 (d) Overtime payments paid from a salary fund in excess of 300
6 hours;


This would allow OT to be configured in the AFC for service AFTER July 2011.....

Here is the ORIGINAL SB, not allowing the 300 hours:

292 (b)?For service earned on or after July 1, 2011:
293 1.?The average final compensation includes all payments
294 defined as compensation under this section.
295 2.?The average final compensation does not include:
296 a.?Compensation paid to professional persons for special or
297 particular services;
298 b.?Payments for accumulated sick leave made due to
299 retirement or termination;
300 c.?Payments for accumulated annual leave;
301 d.?Overtime payments paid from a salary fund;
302 e.?Bonuses;
303 f.?Third-party payments made on and after July 1, 1990; or
304 g.?Fringe benefits, such as automobile allowances or
305 housing allowances.


.......As I understand it, we will be able to earn UP TO 300 hours towards our AFC after 07/2011- ?

FRS Options 1 day ago in reply to BoBBe
We believe you are right. 300 hours of overtime, but no accumulated leave time.

lynda 3 hours ago
I am a regular class employee approaching 30 years and planning to enter DROP on Oct. 1, 2011. Do you think there is any possibility that employees in my situation could be grandfathered in if DROP is eliminated, such as an effective date of December 31st?

FRS Options 2 hours ago in reply to lynda
Past experience would indicate if changes are made they will most likely be made
effective July 1, which is the start of the fiscal year. There is some reason
to think, based on SB1130, that the legislators are becoming a little more
sensitive to cutting benefits for those that have already earned them, and
making the changes effective for new hires. It would make sense to grandfather.
It is one thing to have pension reform, it is an entirely different issue to be
punitive to those who have put there time in

Mcnicola 19 hours ago
Iwill have 29 years of service at the end of June 2011, and would not be eligable to go into drop until 2012. (I had not decided to use drop to be honest). Will drop be gone after this year? (this would simplify my choice).

Also, as a community college instructor, they changed the requirements last year so that when I retire I can not adjunct part time. This presents major hardships to the community colleges (who usually staff up to 60% of the classes using adjunct instructors. (They are much cheeper). Am I correct about this?

FRS Options 16 hours ago in reply to Mcnicola
It's too early to tell if DROP will be around or not. SB 1130 keeps it, HB 1405 does away with it. We will know if a few months.

As to the adjunct instructors, I apologize, but that is not in our area of knowledge.

Juliomiranda 1 day ago
The bill included 500 hours of accrued leave as of June 30, 2011. I will have 500 hours accumulated for annual leave (vacation) as of June 30,2011. Every month my employer accrued 15 horus. If I take 80 hours vacation time in July 2011, and any vacation time that I get after that, will be reduced from the 500 hours? How this work?

FRS Options 1 day ago in reply to Juliomiranda
I believe it means that unless you retire with a few years of 2011, you will likely not get credit for vacation time. If you have 500 accrued by June 30, and only use what you get after that, it seems you could maintain that 500. It would also seem that if you dip into that pre-July 2011 bank of time, you would not be able to make it up.

Yvonne 1 day ago in reply to FRS Options
Is vacation time used taken under a 'first in first out' system? If you took a days vacation time in September 2011 and had earned that much after July 1, 2011 would it be taken from the vacation time earned after July 1 or the accrued amount before it?

Can you elaborate on the first sentence that you used that says that unless you retire within a few years of 2011, you will likely not get credit for vacation time.


FRS Options 21 hours ago in reply to Yvonne
I don't know that they have specified, but it would seem that you can bank your old time, and simply take time off as it is available in the future. It would also seem that you can still "sell" back the time and get paid for it, but that pay doesn't contribute to the calculation for AFC.

FRS Options 21 hours ago in reply to Yvonne
I would presume a worker has been on the job for quite a few years to accumulate that much unused vacation time. If you are relatively new, you won't get credit after July, so the likelihood of accumulating that much unused time diminishes greatly. If you don't have by July, you wouldn't be able to get any more, so it seems it is a benefit that grandfathers those that have been working for a while, and takes it away from new people.

Alreadyretired 1 day ago
Questions on the Senate Bill:
1. Is the definition of 100% funded for the year clear? Is there any provision that considers it 100% funded if it would have been if the legislature had not reduced contributions at times when the fund was over 100% funded?
2. Is the $75,000 threshold applied only when first entering FRS?
3. Are the various salary thresholds indexed for inflation?
4. Is it clear that employee contributions in underfunded years are only to supplement state contributions rather than replace them?
Thank You

FRS Options 1 day ago in reply to Alreadyretired
I will answer your questions as best I can, but the details have not been ironed out yet.

1. The funding issue is determined by the actuaries who review FRS each year. They determine the actuarial assets and the actuarial liabilities and the difference is over or under funding. As best as we can tell there has been no study to determine what the status would be if the state had met their annual obligations in the more robust years. I think you will find the "funding" issue is a political issue, and not a real or actuarial issue.

2. The $75,000 threshold creates a lot of questions in step with yours. What happens mid-year if income crosses it. Can COLA increases or merit pay increases put you over the threshold. We don't know, and can only hope the legislators would define those things before it would go into law.

3. Not in the language that we are looking at.

4. That amendment was a late one, and is simple in scope at this point. It simply says employee contributions will only apply in years of underfunding. Lord knows how they will enforce or monitor that, so again, the details will hopefully be forthcoming.

Sorry it is vague, but it is just to early to tell how the details will be dealt with. Members are asking the right questions, and hopefully the legislators can provide adequate answers.

Gail 1 day ago
I am joining the drop on July 15 2011, after 30 years of service. How do you see things looking for me? Do you feel the drop will be an option for me at the end of this session? Will I need to participate in A 2% contribution for a month from the pay grade of 40 thousand through to 60 which is my salary?

FRS Options 1 day ago in reply to Gail
It is too hard to tell. You are on the cusp if joining DROP after July 1. As it stands with SB 1130, you will be ok, but if HB1405 takes hold, it would not be so good. Likewise for the 2% on the income from 40 to 60 you will be paying. We just hope the Budget Committee doesn't try to up it.

Jstump98 1 day ago
I still do not understand...I am a teacher in the regular class. I will be retiring in four years and have averaged approximately $10,000 yearly in additional compensation for the past (5) years n summer school, tutoring, supplemental contracts, etc. Is this considered overtime although it was not paid at time and one-half? Does this proposal allow only 300 hours of pay over and above the base pay for AFC purposes? Thank you!

FRS Options 1 day ago in reply to Jstump98
I'm not a tax expert, but I suspect you are ok. If it is not considered overtime for payroll, and is a normal part of the job, it shoud be fine.

Yvonne 1 day ago
Do either of the bill proposals change the option elections that you choose for your benefit at retirement (options #1-#4)? If we are going to elect option #3 do you see anything we should pay attention to that could change in this regard?

FRS Options 1 day ago in reply to Yvonne
No, there would be little reason to change those, as those aren't a funding issue - and are part of the Pension Plan. They are good.

Hbrook76 2 days ago
I though there was an amendment in there that allows for new hires (after 7/1/11) making under $75K (to start) in the Special Risk and Regular Classes to elect the Pension Plan if so desired. If os, that means the Pension Plan will still be an option to those folks...

FRS Options 2 days ago in reply to Hbrook76
The house bill 1405 allows you to stay in the Pension. The Senate and House will be fighting it out over the next several weeks to see what the final damage is.

Hbrook76 2 days ago in reply to FRS Options
Look at Amendment Barcode 939600. I believe it makes the DC plan compulsory only for the Senior Management Services, Elected Officers classes and anyone hired at a base salary of $75K or more.

FRS Options 2 days ago in reply to Hbrook76
Wow, I think you are correct. We missed the language in the amendment that deleted lines 607-614 in amendment 200064, which is the language that makes the investment plan mandatory for all new hires. It then jumps to line 1878 which inserts the language that it is only mandatory for those making over 75K. We will verify, but I believe you are correct. That amendment was a last minute amendment approved by the committee yesterday. Thanks for spotting it and letting us know.

lostmyvote 2 days ago
I'm a Regular Class member. Do any of these bills propose to reduce my service credit percentage? I thought I was already at 1.6%


FRS Options 2 days ago in reply to lostmyvote
No, the service credit for regular class does not change.

Yvonne 1 day ago in reply to FRS Options
What about the incremental increases over the 1.6% that you get if you retire after age 62 for the regular class. Ours was going to be 1.68 due to our retirement after age 65. Will there still be incremental increases for retiring after age 62 or will any of these bill proposals change those?

FRS Options 1 day ago in reply to Yvonne
Yes, the incremental increases to 1.68 are still intact.

WC 2 days ago
what if your already in the drop before july 1 and your calculations including leave and overtime have already been factored in. Are they going to recalculate and go back and change the amounts?

FRS Options 2 days ago in reply to WC
No, your ok.

frs27 2 days ago
For the 500 hour maximum used in the AFC would the hours you have on the date of 7/1/2011 be used? So if your retiring on 7/1/2014 no additional hours accured in that 3 year period would go into the AFC calculation? Do you think that is a correct assumption?

FRS Options 2 days ago in reply to frs27
As I see it, the 500 will only count for years prior to July 1, 2011. It doesn't look like you will get credit for overtime for those other 3 years.

Hayes Bowen 2 days ago
I am still convinced closing the pension plan is going to cause problems down the road. How is it going to have the ability to pay out benefits with no new money and member support? The plan is going to have a hard time keeping up when the 655,000 current workers start collecting their checks. What does the 300 hours of overtime paid from a salary fund mean? Is that 300 hours in your last year of service or 300 hours career wide. I understand from the state they have no way of knowing how much of my reported employer contributions was straight time and how much was overtime. All they know is how much was paid. The accumulated annual leave is easy to figure out as that is paid in your last year befor e you retire. Also, has SB1130 abandoned messing with the DROP. Is it possible they will amend and adopt HB1405's DROP language in order to have matching bills?
Like Reply

FRS Options 2 days ago in reply to Hayes Bowen
The Pension Plan will continue to get new money. All those in the plan that remain in the plan will have their contributions going into the Pension. Simple math allows an almost $200,000 per member payout to all existing members, assuming NO earnings, or No future contributions. If you build in the continued contributions, and future earnings, it will most likely be ok. There is also language whereby the employers will make future contributions to the Pension plan to offset potential underfunding issues. As to overtime, I'm sure it will not be difficult for the employer to provide FRS with the base salary numbers for members. The 300 and 500 hours appear to be caps over the entire 5 years.
1 person liked this. Like Reply

Yvonne 1 day ago in reply to FRS Options
Does this mean if I have accumulated vacation days over the past 20 years they will only use the ones that I accumulated over a five year period?

FRS Options 1 day ago in reply to Yvonne
The accumulated vacation days will go toward your Average Final Compensation to the limits provided, but only for service BEFORE July 1, 2011. If you have 300 hours accumulated by July 1 then you should be able to use it.

411 FridayLamberti, Al
To: BSOEveryone

Legislation Update – Florida lawmakers returned to Tallahassee this week to begin what may be one of the most contentious sessions on record. Legislators must overcome the nearly $4 billion budget shortfall, at the same time deal with the controversial issues of state pensions and Medicaid. As I have said before, I will continue to be actively engaged during session to oppose any changes to the current Florida Retirement System or any legislation that would adversely affect public safety. :roll:

Al, you are so full of crap. Other than your 411 Friday you have never once come out publicly in defense of our pensions.

I just watched the video from the post titled Senate Oversight & Accountability 3-10-11. Walton County Sheriff, Michael A. Adkinson, Jr. addressed the Senate committee in defense of our pensions. Lamberti should watch the video so he can see how a real Sheriff defends Law Enforcement. I wish we had a real Sheriff, Thanks for nothing Al.

Yep....we better fight this overtime issue. They should count all overtime prior to 7/1/2011. What concerns me more is how they lump overtime I was required/ forced to work with off duty time that it was a choice to work. Total crap.....as usual from our legislators. No more Republican votes from me or my family!!! Anyone tied to the FRS and their family should vote the same way!!!![/quote]

In plain english, because this is getting real confusing and everyone has a different view. Does anyone know for CERTAIN if all overtime earned before July 2011 is counted torwards retirement or is it just 300 hours max?

Yes, the overtime will count.