The Public Employment & Retirement Committee, chaired by Senator Nell Soto (D – Pomona), passed four pension reform bills in special session today while eight other bills – all carried by Senator Roy Ashburn (R – Bakersfield) – failed (Ashburn was granted reconsideration on all of his measures).

The four bills approved by the committee were:

• SBX1 2 (Dunn) – to require the establishment of new Taxpayer Adverse Rate Prevention Accounts in both the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) law and the County Employees Retirement Act of 1937 (known as ’37 Act) in order to stabilize public employer contributions to the respective retirement systems;
• SBX1 3 (Speier) – to create a disincentive for disability abuse by allowing CalPERS to require a retirement plan member who retired for disability after age 50 to submit to a medical re-evaluation for up to 36 months or face a penalty or benefit cancellation if they refuse;
• SBX1 4 (Soto) – to crack down on potential Workers’ Compensation abuse by allowing CalPERS investigators increased access to information maintained by the Employment Development Department (EDD) or by Workers’ Comp insurers with respect to an investigation of benefit eligibility or unlawful application for, or receipt of, PERS disability retirement benefits;
• SBX1 5 (Ducheny) – to repeal existing provisions and re-enact new provisions of the County Employees Retirement Act of 1937 (’37 Act) relating to the determination of final compensation (the salary upon which retirement benefits are calculated).

Senator Soto says SBX1 4 is necessary to help crack down on the “unlawful receipt of PERS disability retirement benefits. This is a reasonable bill, a badly needed bill, one that will help strengthen the people’s faith in our public retirement systems.”