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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	January 23, 2013 01:10 PM
From:	Senator John P. Blake
To:	All Senate members
Subject:	Blake: Buyback of military time for Scranton’s Public Safety and non-uniformed employees

In the near future, I plan to re-introduce Senate Bills 1601 and 1602 from the 2011-2012 Session which would remove a three-year time limit within which members of the Police, Fire and employee pension systems must begin working for the city in order to be eligible for purchasing credit for time spent in the armed forces. .

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Document #1

Description:

This legislation would remove a three-year time limit within which members of the Scranton Police and Fire pension systems must begin working for the city in order to be eligible for purchasing credit for time spent in the armed forces. Under current law, Scranton is the only municipality in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania subject to this time limit due to its unique status as the state’s only Second Class A city – and a prior oversight in statutory language that omitted the City’s public safety and non-uniformed workers who have served in the military from an otherwise statewide standard regarding military service buy-back related to the pensions of public safety personnel. These bills, which would correct this inequity and which are supported by the Mayor and the City Council of Scranton, have received actuarial analyses from the Public Employees’ Retirement Commission (PERC) and said analyses revealed no actuarial costs to the city resulting from enactment. The PERC further recommends, “that the General Assembly and the Governor consider policy issues identified in the actuarial note transmittal.” While this bill is limited in scope to the City of Scranton, I ask for your support in providing the brave men and women who return from active duty to serve the citizens of the City of Scranton with the same benefits provided our returning veterans in every other municipality in Pennsylvania. Last session’s co-sponsors included Senators: Costa, Tartaglione, Solobay, Fontana, M.J. White, Brewster, Schwank, Yudichak, and Ferlo. If you have questions about this legislation, please contact Kyle Mullins of my staff at 717-787-6481 or kmullins@pasenate.com.

Document #2

Description:

This legislation would remove a three-year time limit within which members of the Scranton employee pension system must begin working for the city in order to be eligible for purchasing credit for time spent in the armed forces.    Under current law, Scranton is the only municipality in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania subject to this time limit due to its unique status as the state’s only Second Class A city – and a prior oversight in statutory language that omitted the City’s public safety and non-uniformed workers who have served in the military from an otherwise statewide standard regarding military service buy-back related to the pensions of non-uniformed personnel.  These bills, which would correct this inequity and which are supported by the Mayor and the City Council of Scranton, have received actuarial analyses from the Public Employees’ Retirement Commission (PERC) and said analyses revealed no actuarial costs to the city resulting from enactment.  The PERC further recommends, “that the General Assembly and the Governor consider policy issues identified in the actuarial note transmittal.”   While this bill is limited in scope to the City of Scranton, I ask for your support in providing the brave men and women who return from active duty to serve the citizens of the City of Scranton with the same benefits provided our returning veterans in every other municipality in Pennsylvania.   Last session’s co-sponsors included Senators:  Costa, Tartaglione, Solobay, Fontana, M.J. White, Brewster, Schwank, Yudichak, and Ferlo. If you have questions about this legislation, please contact Kyle Mullins of my staff at 717-787-6481 or kmullins@pasenate.com.