Amended petition for post conviction relief filed Wednesday afternoon by Alexander H. Lindsay, Esquire by Petitioner Gerald Sandusky.

Read the filing.

"We have to ... take by the horns and fix it. Quickly". Governor Tom Corbett.

Photo/Natalie Cake file.

Majority Leader Dave Reed visited the capitol newsroom Wednesday afternoon.

Property tax relief bill to run on the House floor next week.

An amendment to the Governor's tax code bill.

A property tax rent rebate program.

Senate republican leaders released a memorandum Wednesday afternoon relaxed to the proposed pension reform bill SB 1.

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Highlights of the bill as released by republican senate leaders.

New Member Benefits

Defined Contribution for new employees: All new state and public school employees will be enrolled in a mandatory Defined Contribution Plan.

Employers will be required to contribute the amount equal to the current DB normal cost of post Act 120 employees. For State Police, the employer contribution rate is 12.2%.

Mandatory Retirement Security Plan: New employees will be required to contribute 3% of payroll into a cash balance plan. Employees will earn interest at the long term treasury rate capped at 4%.

Members of the General Assembly, upon election and/or reelection, will be enrolled in the Defined Contribution Plan. The Defined Contribution plan provision will be consistent with state and public school employees.

Current Member Benefits

For all future earnings, contributions will be increased by 3% for PSERS and 2.5% for SERS to maintain Act 9 benefit levels. If the employee chooses not to increase their contribution to this level, the employee’s prospective benefit rolls back to pre-Act 9 levels (2.0 multiplier and contribution of 6.25% for PSERS and 2.0 multiplier and contribution level of 5.0% for SERS).

Anti-spiking Provision: Compensation for extra duty service included in each of the three highest years cannot exceed the average for the last five years of service. This provision currently applies to all post-Act 120 employees.

Prospective Revenue-neutral Option 4: provides all future member contributions will be accessible upon retirement at an actuarially neutral rate beginning January 1, 2016 for SERS employees and July 1, 2016 for PSERS employees.

Contribution Savings Provision: Every three years, the system will calculate the difference between actual and assumed returns. For every percentage that the system realized a return in excess of assumed returns during the calculation period, an employee’s contribution, for those who chose the increased contribution option, will be reduced by ½ percentage point for the following three years. Those employees who did not choose the increased contribution level will not be eligible to have their employee contribution rate reduced.

Optional Retirement Security Plan: employees will be eligible to contribute up to 3% of payroll into an optional cash balance plan. Additional Provisions:

Public Pension Management and Asset Investment Review Commission: A commission of investment professionals and retirement advisors will be established to study, publish findings and make recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor as to:

The performance of current investment strategies and procedures of both state retirement systems as to realized rates of return against established benchmarks and associated fees paid for active and passive management.

The costs and benefits of active vs passive investment strategies in relation to future investment activities of both state retirement systems.

Alternative future investment strategies of both state retirement systems which will maximize future realized net of fees rates of returns with available assets.

Extensive, detailed on-line publication of information about assets, returns, financial managers, all consultants, RFPs, and investment performance measured against benchmarks.

The commission will include 3 members appointed by the Speaker of the House, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Governor.

The commission will submit its recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly within 6 months of its first organizational meeting.

Funding Protection Mandate: Each member of PSERS and SERS, after the current employer compensation schedule meets the full actuarial amount, will have a contractual right to the annual required contribution made by the employer or by any other public entity. Board membership/ qualifications:

Membership: Both PSERS and SERS Board complement will be amended to add the Secretary of Banking and Securities. Training: Each member of the PSERS and SERS Board will be required to obtain 8 hours of mandatory training in investment strategies, actuarial cost analysis and retirement portfolio management on an annual basis.

Independent Counsel: Legal counsel to both PSERS and SERS will serve independently from both the Governor’s Office of Chief Counsel, the General Assembly and the Attorney General.

Photo/Natalie Cake file.

The Pa Senate passed SB 644 and SB 645 Wednesday afternoon by 29-19 votes.

Video of Monday's senate appropriations committee meeting discussing the two bills.

Senator Ward introduces SB 645.

Part 2.

Part 3.

Part 4.

Part 5.

Part 6.

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SB 644 AN ACT.

Amending Title 71 (State Government) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Independent Fiscal Office, further providing for duties of office and for access to information.

PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 758, 801 5 hereby enacts as follows:

6 Section 1. Section 4104(a) of Title 71 of the Pennsylvania

7 Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding a paragraph to read:

8 § 4104. Duties of office.

9 (a) Mandatory.--The office shall:

10 * ** 11 (8) Provide a cost analysis for the current and five

12 subsequent fiscal years of the impact of each proposed

13 collective bargaining agreement under the jurisdiction of the

14 Governor prior to execution, including the costs to cover

15 public employee wages, benefits, pensions and working

16 conditions that have been reduced in writing under section

17 701 of the act of July 23, 1970 (P.L.563, No.195), known as The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

1 the Public Employe Relations Act.

2 ** *

3 Section 2. Section 4109 of Title 71 is amended by adding a 4 subsection to read:

5 § 4109. Access to information.

6 ** *

7 (g) Collective bargaining agreements.-- <--

8 (1) The Office of Administration and the Office of the

9 Budget shall provide to the office the following:

10 (i) The number of employees, wage distribution,

11 data, estimates, statistics and last best offers

12 negotiated on all proposed collective bargaining

13 agreements under the jurisdiction of the Governor;

14 (ii) such other related information as requested by

15 the office; and

16 (iii) a detailed analysis of all the information

17 enumerated in subparagraphs (i) and (ii) in a format

18 acceptable to the office.

19 (2) The Office of Administration and the Office of the

20 Budget shall submit to the office at least two weeks in

21 advance of their execution copies of the proposed agreements

22 so the office is able to fulfill its obligations under

23 section 4104(a)(8) (relating to duties of office) prior to

24 the execution of the collective bargaining agreements.

25 (G) COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS.--THE OFFICE OF <--

26 ADMINISTRATION AND THE OFFICE OF THE BUDGET SHALL:

27 (1) SUBMIT TO THE OFFICE AT LEAST TEN DAYS, EXCLUDING

28 WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS, IN ADVANCE OF ITS EXECUTION COPIES OF

29 EACH PROPOSED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT UNDER THE

30 JURISDICTION OF THE GOVERNOR AND THE LAST BEST OFFERS

20150SB0644PN0841 - 2 -

1 ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROPOSED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT.

2 (2) CONCURRENT WITH EACH SUBMISSION UNDER PARAGRAPH (1),

3 PROVIDE THE OFFICE WITH A DETAILED COST ANALYSIS OF THE

4 PROPOSED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT. THE ANALYSIS SHALL

5 COMPARE THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT IN EFFECT AT THE

6 TIME OF SUBMISSION TO PROJECTIONS FOR THE PROPOSED COLLECTIVE

7 BARGAINING AGREEMENT FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR AND THE FIVE

8 SUBSEQUENT FISCAL YEARS. THE ANALYSIS SHALL INCLUDE:

9 (I) THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES COVERED BY THE

10 AGREEMENT, BY FUND.

11 (II) WAGES AND SALARIES, BY FUND.

12 (III) EMPLOYER COSTS FOR EMPLOYEE BENEFITS,

13 INCLUDING PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS, BY FUND.

14 (IV) A SUMMARY OF THE CHANGES TO PAID LEAVE, WORKING

15 HOURS, WORKING CONDITIONS OR ANY OTHER TERM OF EMPLOYMENT

16 IN THE PROPOSED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT AND THE

17 PROJECTED COST OF SUCH CHANGES, BY FUND.

18 (V) A STATEMENT EXPLAINING THE DATA, ASSUMPTIONS AND

19 METHODOLOGY USED TO MAKE THE PROJECTIONS.

20 (3) WITHIN FOUR DAYS, EXCLUDING WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS,

21 OF A REQUEST BY THE DIRECTOR, PROVIDE THE OFFICE WITH ANY

22 INFORMATION, DATA, STATISTICS OR ANALYSIS DETERMINED BY THE

23 DIRECTOR TO BE NECESSARY TO FULFILL THE OFFICE'S OBLIGATIONS

24 UNDER SECTION 4104(A)(8) (RELATING TO DUTIES OF OFFICE).

25 Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.