Regular Session 2015-2016 House Resolution 0212 P.N. 1958

PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 1076, 1472

PRINTER'S NO. 1958

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

No.

212

Session of

2015

INTRODUCED BY ROSS, HARPER, GINGRICH, FREEMAN, M. DALEY,

CALTAGIRONE AND MICCARELLI, APRIL 6, 2015

AS AMENDED, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, JUNE 26, 2015

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Establishing a task force to examine issues related to the

management and funding of municipal retirement programs.

WHEREAS, To honor the service of police, fire and other

municipal personnel now and in the years to come, municipal

employees deserve retirement programs that are fiscally sound,

secure and sustainable; and

WHEREAS, Pennsylvania municipalities have more than 3,000

retirement programs, and 640 municipalities in this Commonwealth

have distressed retirement programs of which 140 are moderately

or severely distressed, as determined by the Public Employee

Retirement Commission; and

WHEREAS, Throughout the deliberations of the Local Government

Commission Act 47 Task Force during the 2013-2014 legislative

session, retirement program liabilities were considered a major

contributing factor to the fiscal instability of certain

municipalities in this Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, According to the December 2014 Status Report on

Local Government Pension Plans issued by the Public Employee

Retirement Commission, the unfunded actuarial liability of local

government retirement programs was approximately $10 billion as

of the date of the report; and

WHEREAS, Municipal retirement program reform is crucial to

public safety and the health and stability of local communities;

and

WHEREAS, Municipalities must consider the cost of public

retirement programs together with the amount of revenue

available to pay for the delivery of other municipal functions

and services; and

WHEREAS, Unfunded retirement program liability adversely

affects the credit-worthiness of the Commonwealth's

municipalities in municipal bond markets; therefore be it

RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That, due to the complexity

of the issues relating to municipal retirement systems, the

General Assembly appoint a task force to:

(1) Identify the problems and causes associated with

unfunded municipal retirement program liability.

(2) Examine the management and funding of municipal

retirement programs.

(3) Provide practical solutions to promote the solvency

of municipal retirement programs; PROGRAMS.

(4) CONSIDER COLLECTIVE BARGAINING TO THE EXTENT THAT IT

MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE DISTRESS OF SOME MUNICIPAL RETIREMENT

PROGRAMS;

and be it further

RESOLVED, That the task force be comprised of 28 members, as

follows:

(1) Four representatives from the Local Government

Commission, appointed by the chairman of the Local Government

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Commission; one from the majority caucus of the Senate; one

from the minority caucus of the Senate; one from the majority

caucus of the House of Representatives; and one from the

minority caucus of the House of Representatives, two of whom

shall be designated by the chairman of the Local Government

Commission as cochairpersons of the task force.

(2) Two members of the Local Government Committee of the

Senate, one appointed by the chairman of the Local Government

Committee of the Senate and one appointed by the minority

chairman of the Local Government Committee of the Senate.

(3) Two members of the Urban Affairs and Housing

Committee of the Senate, one appointed by the chairman of the

Urban Affairs and Housing Committee of the Senate and one

appointed by the minority chairman of the Urban Affairs and

Housing Committee of the Senate.

(4) Two members of the Local Government Committee of the

House of Representatives, one appointed by the chairman of

the Local Government Committee of the House of

Representatives and one appointed by the minority chairman of

the Local Government Committee of the House of

Representatives.

(5) Two members of the Urban Affairs Committee of the

House of Representatives, one appointed by the chairman of

the Urban Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives

and one appointed by the minority chairman of the Urban

Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives.

(6) One appointee of the Governor from the Department of

Community and Economic Development.

(7) One appointee from each of the following

organizations, designated by the organization's president:

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(i) The County Commissioners Association of

Pennsylvania.

(ii) The Pennsylvania State Association of Township

Supervisors.

(iii) The Pennsylvania State Association of Township

Commissioners.

(iv) The Pennsylvania Municipal League.

(v) The Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs.

(vi) The Fraternal Order of Police, Pennsylvania

State Lodge.

(vii) The Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters

Association.

(viii) American Federation of State, County and

Municipal Employees.

(ix) The Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities

Association.

(8) A representative from the Pennsylvania Municipal

Retirement System appointed by the chairman of its board.

(9) A representative of the Coalition for Sustainable

Communities.

(10) The Auditor General or a designee.

(11) The State Treasurer or a designee.

(12) The chairperson of the Public Employee Retirement

Commission or the chairperson's designee.

(13) An expert in public retirement finance and

retirement asset management selected by the chairman of the

Local Government Commission;

and be it further

RESOLVED, That the task force utilize the staff of the Local

Government Commission in consultation with the Public Employee

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Retirement Commission and the Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement

System, and with assistance from the staff of the Local

Government Committee of the Senate, the Urban Affairs and

Housing Committee of the Senate, the Local Government Committee

of the House of Representatives and the Urban Affairs Committee

of the House of Representatives and the Legislative Reference

Bureau; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the appointed task force members not be

compensated, but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses from

any appropriation made to the Local Government Commission as

determined by the cochairpersons of the task force; and be it

further

RESOLVED, That the task force submit a report with its

findings and recommendations, including proposed legislative

remedies, to the Local Government Committee of the Senate, the

Urban Affairs and Housing Committee of the Senate, the Local

Government Committee of the House of Representatives and the

Urban Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives as soon

as practical.

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