Government

House Committee Backs 'Modest' Pension Reform for State Employees

Bill requiring government workers to contribute 3 percent of salaries moves on party lines vote

By: Kevin Derby | Posted: March 31, 2011 3:55 AM

Around the State

The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday approved HB 1405, a measure reforming pension plans for state employees -- but not requiring government workers to contribute as much of their annual salaries to the Florida Retirement System (FRS) as a similar measure in the Senate, or as much as Gov. Rick Scott wants.

The bill passed on a party-lines vote, with Republicans backing the reform and Democrats opposing it.

With Scott calling for state employees to invest in their own retirement plans, the Republican leadership controlling the House turned to Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, the chairman of the Community and Military Affairs Subcommittee, to push the legislation. Workman spoke to the Appropriations Committee on Wednesday as part of a marathon meeting.

While Scott initially called for FRS participants to contribute 5 percent of their salaries, Workman’s bill currently mandates they contribute just 3 percent. Workman called it “modest from where we started.”

The measure also would pull the plug on the state Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) for new workers and would raise the retirement age from 62 to 65.

Tags: AIF, Denise Grimsley, Ed Hooper, Florida AFL-CIO, FOP, FRS, House, Leonard Bembry, Marti Coley, Marty Kiar, News, NFIB, PBA, Pensions, Rich Templin, Rick Scott, Ritch Workman, Ron Saunders, Seth McKeel, Government

Comments (2)

Conrad Fitzhume

7:35PM APR 1ST 2011

The Koch brothers inherited their company, "Koch Industries" from their father and are worth over 20 billion dollars each. They own a "small business" that has over 80,000 employees and grosses over 100 billion dollars per year, and they are fighting to keep their taxes down by financing the TEA Party, Republicans and many projects which support the most right-wing groups in the country. They can't afford to pay taxes, but they can afford to give millions to Republican and TEA Party candidates and elected officials, and to groups which make and distribute the most vicious attacks on the working class people of America. You may have heard that the richest 400 Americans own as much as 150,000,000 Americans. These are two of that 400. How much is enough?

Here is a list of Koch Brothers products. The money behind the union busting and the war on the middle-class in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, New Jersey, Florida and many other states!

Angel Soft toilet paper
Brawny paper towels
Dixie plates, bowls, napkins & cups
Mardi Gras napkins and towels
Quilted Northern toilet paper
Soft 'n Gentle toilet paper
Sparkle napkins
Vanity fair napkins
Zee napkins
Georgia-Pacific paper products & envelopes
All Georgia-Pacific lumber & building products (INVISTA Products)
Lycra Stainmaster Carpet

Patriotic middle class Americans need to wake up before it's too late. Millionaire elected officials are not the friends of the middle class, they ran for office for self serving purposes. They are paying for tax breaks for rich corporations with the middle class's tax dollars.

Conrad Fitzhume

7:25PM APR 1ST 2011