REAM's Legislative priorities for the 2009-2010 Session:

Fact Sheet - prepared for REAM's 3rd Annual Lobby/Advocacy Day.

Addressing the Deficiencies

Outdated pension formulas have not been able to keep up with the increasing costs of living. The purchasing power of a pension can decrease 60-80% over time. In an effort to addresses some of these deficiencies, REAM has worked with a number of legislators to file language that would help protect the purchasing power of pensions over time and also to adjust the base of the COLA. HB2487 is an act relative to cost of living adjustments for retired public employees of the Commonwealth. This bill seeks to extend the deadline to reduce the unfunded actuarial liability attributable to the Commonwealth's pension liability to June 30, 2026 and also to increase the base amount upon which cost of living adjustments for public retirees, spouses or other beneficiaries are calculated, from $12,000 to $16,000 and further regulates the calculation of said cost of living adjustments.

HB2567 is an act relative to the purchasing power protection for retiree benefits. This bill would direct the teachers' retirement board to analyze, study and evaluate the costs and actuarial liabilities attributable to providing 75% purchasing power protection for annuitants of their retirement system.

SB1060 is an act relative to maternity benefits for teachers. This bill would amend various provisions relative the public retirement systems; entitling members of the teachers' retirment system eligilbe fore credit for out of state service, to credit for unpaid leaves of absence or registrations prior to 1975 for the purpose fo maternity leaves and regulates contributions for receipt of said benefits. Other provisions in this bill would require employees, including retirees, to make a minimum of five years contributions at the rate of 11% of regular compensations and regulates the payment fo the retirement allowance.

In total, REAM is monitoring about 82 bills relative to minimum pensions, health insurance coverage options, creditable service and survivor benefits. Please contact the Office if you have specific questions about a particular bill.

Reach any Senator or Representative on Beacon Hill. Complete listing of all state senators and representatives as well as complete information on them, and access to their e-mail address.

If you do not know the names of your Senators or Congressmen from your state you will find them at this site. Simply click on the state in which you are interested. Then click on the name of the Congressmen or Senator you wish to contact. Most Congressmen only accept e-mails from their constituents. At this site you will find complete information on how to contact each member.

Tips on writing effective letters to elected officials can be found here. If you scroll down on this site you will find how to locate writing addresses for U.S. Senators, Representatives and Supreme Court Justices. Also there are the "always" and "nevers" in writing to them as well as how to identify legislation when writing to them.

Legislative issues involving seniors nationally.

Information on the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset and how each affects what you will collect from social Security because of your MA public pension. Two important bills filed on behalf of retired public employees HR235, calls for the complete repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and S484, which also calls for the complete repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision(WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). Please call both your US Senators and your US Congressman to ask that he/she co-sponsor this legislation and support this unfair practice.

Information on the National Coalition for WEP/GPO repeal.