March 2024 - Retirees - groups.netroopers.org

Approved Meeting Minutes 12.09.23
by Tara Johnson 10 Jun '24

10 Jun '24

Hello Members, I have attached the Meeting Minutes from December 9, 2023's board meeting. These were approved yesterday during the board meeting. Happy St. Patrick's Day! Tara Tara Johnson Director of Operations & Benefits State Law Enforcement Bargaining Council STAN | NCOA | NSFMA PO Box 6729 Lincoln, NE 68506 Phone: 402.489.2081 Cell Phone: 402.440.8284 Fax: 402.489.6093 This email may contain confidential and privileged information for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review or distribution by others is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete all copies.

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Re: [Nspretirees] Re: Additional Details - LB196
by James Estwick 21 Mar '24

21 Mar '24

To clarify, the amendment of LB196, if it passes a full vote, will make no changes to your current retiree benefits - for you or your spouse. Everything will remain the same. Thank you, James ________________________________ From: bandc440 <bandc440(a)gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2024 12:47 PM To: Bret Friesz <b.friesz119(a)gmail.com>; James Estwick <jestwick(a)netroopers.org> Cc: nspretirees(a)groups.netroopers.org <nspretirees(a)groups.netroopers.org>; retirees(a)groups.netroopers.org <retirees(a)groups.netroopers.org>; STAN Board <STANBoard(a)netroopers.org> Subject: RE: [Nspretirees] Re: Additional Details - LB196 We need to clarify this, because I will not support a bill which takes away from a retiree or their spouse. Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone -------- Original message -------- From: Bret Friesz <b.friesz119(a)gmail.com> Date: 3/21/24 12:35 (GMT-06:00) To: James Estwick <jestwick(a)netroopers.org> Cc: nspretirees(a)groups.netroopers.org, retirees(a)groups.netroopers.org, STAN Board <STANBoard(a)netroopers.org> Subject: [Nspretirees] Re: Additional Details - LB196 James, Thank you keeping us informed. I guess the only question at this point is, if this bill passes does it change any of our current benefits since they were removed from the bill. My assumption is no it will not. Thanks, Bret On Thu, Mar 21, 2024, 11:58 AM James Estwick <jestwick(a)netroopers.org<mailto:jestwick@netroopers.org>> wrote: Hello NSP Retirees, I wanted to reach out with a follow-up email regarding LB196. We've included all retirees because we feel it is important to share the details and full transparency of what we have been working on for active troopers and retirees. We understand the importance in this entire bill and how the change for it to get out of committee does not make a positive change for you as a retiree. There are a few items I want to ensure you know. The bill was going to die in committee if we did not make the concession to only 10%. It was to the point that it was this change or nothing at all, so we agreed to the 10%. The committee members that originally voted "yes" understand how important this entire bill is to our active and retiree troopers. In fact, we all will be retired one day - so these items are still very important - mostly for you as a retiree, but one day we will also know the feeling. As long as I am President of STAN, we will continue working on legislation with Senator Bostar and other senators who understand what you (we) are up against during retirement. If you have not followed Senator Bostar, he is one senator who understands, is willing, and will fight for us - he is very passionate about our issues. He knows that ensuring our retirees receive the COLA increase as well as spouses receiving benefits deserved are both vital to survival for many. At the end of the day - when the committee voted the only piece they would agree upon (with the Governor's Office involved) was that of the lower retirement rate - it was this piece or nothing. It was certainly not the way we wanted the bill to end up and we will keep at it to push for positive change for the retirement pieces. Regardless of your STAN Membership status, we want to keep you all informed and up-to-date on these items that we are working on. The more involved we all are, the more we can accomplish. As we have more details on this or any other topic, we will email again. Sincerely, James Estwick STAN President _______________________________________________ Nspretirees mailing list -- nspretirees(a)groups.netroopers.org<mailto:nspretirees@groups.netroopers.org> To unsubscribe send an email to nspretirees-leave(a)groups.netroopers.org<mailto:nspretirees-leave@groups.netroopers.org>

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Additional Details - LB196
by James Estwick 21 Mar '24

21 Mar '24

Hello NSP Retirees, I wanted to reach out with a follow-up email regarding LB196. We've included all retirees because we feel it is important to share the details and full transparency of what we have been working on for active troopers and retirees. We understand the importance in this entire bill and how the change for it to get out of committee does not make a positive change for you as a retiree. There are a few items I want to ensure you know. The bill was going to die in committee if we did not make the concession to only 10%. It was to the point that it was this change or nothing at all, so we agreed to the 10%. The committee members that originally voted "yes" understand how important this entire bill is to our active and retiree troopers. In fact, we all will be retired one day - so these items are still very important - mostly for you as a retiree, but one day we will also know the feeling. As long as I am President of STAN, we will continue working on legislation with Senator Bostar and other senators who understand what you (we) are up against during retirement. If you have not followed Senator Bostar, he is one senator who understands, is willing, and will fight for us - he is very passionate about our issues. He knows that ensuring our retirees receive the COLA increase as well as spouses receiving benefits deserved are both vital to survival for many. At the end of the day - when the committee voted the only piece they would agree upon (with the Governor's Office involved) was that of the lower retirement rate - it was this piece or nothing. It was certainly not the way we wanted the bill to end up and we will keep at it to push for positive change for the retirement pieces. Regardless of your STAN Membership status, we want to keep you all informed and up-to-date on these items that we are working on. The more involved we all are, the more we can accomplish. As we have more details on this or any other topic, we will email again. Sincerely, James Estwick STAN President

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LB196 update
by Lucas Bolton 19 Mar '24

19 Mar '24

Members, Please allow this email to serve as an update on LB196. It is good news, and I am now asking for your help in getting it over the finish line. The STAN Board, Matt Schaefer (our lobbyist), and I have been working diligently with Senator Bostar (LB196 introducer), the Retirement Committee, and the Governor's Office to keep the bill moving through the legislative process. Yesterday LB196 was voted out of the Retirement Committee with amendments and has now advanced to the Senate floor for debate. The bill has been amended from its original form due to budgetary issues. Cutting the state’s budget and limiting spending has been a major focus for this year’s legislature. So far, concerns about the cost have been the only real opposition to our bill. With the amendments, as currently proposed, LB196 will now reduce retirement contributions from either 16% or 17% down to 10% for all Troopers. This will put about $382.00 to $580.00 additional dollars pretax in each Troopers monthly paycheck. That is an additional $4,584.00 (new Troopers) to $6,960.00 (Step 15 Troopers) annually. In an effort to cut the costs of LB196, the amendments did remove the increase to the spousal death benefits and the change to the COLA adjustments from the bill. Without these amendments, we could not guarantee that LB196 would have advanced out of committee. The STAN board has discussed this extensively, and we know that these two items were both very important to our members. Senator Bostar has already pledged to address these with future legislation. The STAN Board, as well as myself, fully plan on pushing for these two changes in future legislative sessions. LB196 is now heading to the Senate floor for debate, and this is where I need your assistance. For everyone who reached out to the Senators on the Retirement Committee about advancing LB196, I sincerely thank you. This action was instrumental in advancing our bill out of committee. Going forward our bill is going to be discussed by every Senator from across the state. I need your help to ensure that every Senator hears from at least one constituent in support of LB196. Please take a few minutes to reach out via phone or email and ask your Senator to support LB196. It is this personal contact that will show each Senator that this bill is truly important to you as one of their constituents. Hearing directly from someone who lives in their district will place accountability on each Senator. With just a little bit of time and effort from each of you, we can reach Senators throughout the state to ensure that LB196 has the best possible chance of passing. If you do not know who your Senator is please use the link below. https://nebraskalegislature.gov/senators/senator_find.php [https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/8PDvS6lpwRJZjlQhP6oiGMA0nN8iMR2osQ3y0g…] Click on the “Landing Page” [https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/UPtanwZuGPbRNNryqaDRIRynq6069pqMWhUNj3…] This will give you their contact info. When you reach out to your Senator, feel free to explain to them why you feel that they should vote in favor of LB196. Below is an example which you are free to use directly or modify when you contact your Senator. Dear Senator______________, I am a _________ with the Nebraska State Patrol and a constituent of your district and I ask that you support and vote in favor of LB196. This bill will have a positive impact by allowing me to bring home more of the income that I earn which will help me to take care of myself and my family. LB196 will also significantly aid the Nebraska State Patrol in its efforts to recruit new Troopers and retain its current ones. The State Patrol is currently down more than 70 Troopers. LB196 makes the Nebraska State Patrol more competitive with the other agencies we are losing the best candidates too. This will aid in filling those vacancies, and with more Troopers on the road, the Patrol will have more resources to keep every citizen of Nebraska safer. Please take just a few minutes to reach out this week, because the discussions and vote on this bill will be happening soon. Thank you, Lucas Bolton Legislative Liaison State Troopers Association of Nebraska STAN PO Box 6729 Lincoln, NE 68506

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03.16.24 Agenda & Merchandise for Sale!
by Tara Johnson 14 Mar '24

14 Mar '24

Good Evening! Below you will find the agenda for this Saturday's STAN Board Meeting. If you have anything specific to your Troop Area or not on the agenda, please reach out to your troop area representative. They will be sure to add it to their notes for their Troop Area Concerns. Quick update on LB 196, the bill is still alive, and we are still working with the governor's office . As soon as we have another update, we will pass it along. I have attached the flyer for STAN Merchandise available for purchase. If you would like to order, please reply to this email with your order. Some items are on sale and have limited availability noted. If I have the order soon enough, I will try to send it back to you via your troop area representative. [cid:aa3b49da-546b-4237-89ba-842ace874bd6] Tara Johnson Director of Operations & Benefits State Law Enforcement Bargaining Council STAN | NCOA | NSFMA PO Box 6729 Lincoln, NE 68506 Phone: 402.489.2081 Cell Phone: 402.440.8284 Fax: 402.489.6093 This email may contain confidential and privileged information for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review or distribution by others is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete all copies.

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03.06.24 Update: LB196
by Tara Johnson 06 Mar '24

06 Mar '24

LB196 Update: Lucas Bolton, James Estwick, and our Lobbyist have a 10am Monday meeting with Governor Pillen, Senator Bostar, and Jason Jackson. From what we understand, Senator Ibach has agreed to a yes vote (please continue to reach out, we can't take this for granted) if we change the contribution percentage to 10% - as long as this will not be vetoed by the governor once it passes on the floor. The purpose of this meeting is to ensure we are all on the same page and ensure this bill is successful. Timeline wise, Monday is a recess day, Tuesday is Day 41 of a 60 day session. Thank you, Tara Tara Johnson Director of Operations & Benefits State Law Enforcement Bargaining Council STAN | NCOA | NSFMA PO Box 6729 Lincoln, NE 68506 Phone: 402.489.2081 Cell Phone: 402.440.8284 Fax: 402.489.6093 This email may contain confidential and privileged information for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review or distribution by others is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete all copies.

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We need your help!
by Lucas Bolton 05 Mar '24

05 Mar '24

Members, Today marks the start of the 108th legislature, second regular session. I am writing to you to ask for your help in contacting senators about a bill that will benefit all of us. The biggest goal of the STAN Board and my top priority this legislative session is obtaining the successful passage of LB196. LB196 is legislation which was introduced by Senator Eliot Bostar which proposes three important changes to the State Patrol retirement system. Below is a summary of the current version of LB196. First, LB196 would change the member retirement contribution rates from either 16% (tier 1 member) or 17% (tier 2 member) down to 8% for all current and future members. To put this into perspective, that would put approximately $468.00 (pretax) dollars into a current step one Trooper’s monthly paycheck. That is approximately $5,616.00 (pretax) annually. Those numbers for a current step fifteen Trooper are approximately $631.00 monthly or $7,577.00 annually (pre-tax). Obviously, those numbers will be different for other positions and pay lines. But as you can see, a contribution rate decrease would put a decent portion of the pay you earned back into your own pocket today, without a reduction in your future retirement benefits. Second, LB 196 proposes changes to the death benefits received by surviving spouses and dependent children of members. Currently the surviving spouse or dependent child under the age of 19 receives 75% of the member’s annuity after the member’s death. LB196 proposes that the surviving spouse or dependent child under the age of 19 receive 100% of the member’s annuity after the members death for members retiring on or after July 1, 2024. Third, LB196 proposes changes to how the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is calculated for current and future retirees. Currently the COLA is calculated using the lesser actual change in the consumer price index (CPI) or 2.5% (tier 1)/1% (tier 2). LB196 proposes the COLA be calculated using the lesser actual change in the consumer price index (CPI) or 4% for all members. This is meant to better fight the higher-than-average rates of inflation we have seen the last several years. Last session LB196 was introduced and sent to be reviewed by the Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee. A hearing was held on March 2, 2023, where the retirement systems committee called for an actuarial study to be conducted on the fiscal impact of the bill. The study was conducted and a second hearing was held on November 9, 2023. At the November 9th hearing, the findings of the actuarial study were presented to the retirement systems committee. This was followed by testimony in support of LB196 provided by myself as the Legislative Liaison representing STAN, Scott Black the Retiree Representative for STAN, and Denise Wagner (widow of Trooper Mark Wagner). I have attached copies of the testimony that Scott and I provided to the retirement committee. I unfortunately do not have a copy of Denise’s testimony but can attest to both its weight and clarity on why the death benefit for surviving spouses needs to be changed to 100%. We had an excellent turnout from both active and retired members and appear to have left an impression with the retirement committee. I would like to say thanks again to everyone who showed up and displayed their support in that hearing. Currently LB196 is a carry-over bill from the last session and still sitting in the retirement systems committee. For LB196 to move out of committee we need a majority (four of the six committee members) to vote to advance it to the floor for debate by the whole legislature. This is where I am asking for help from the membership. The board and I have and will continue to provide testimony on behalf of STAN, but phone calls and emails from as many members as possible could influence the Committee members who may still be undecided. Below is a list of the Senators on the Retirement Systems Committee and their contact information. I think it’s important to reach out to all the members, but I have placed an asterisk by the committee members that either appeared to not support LB196 or we are unaware of their support of LB196. Sen. Mike McDonnell, Chairperson<https://nebraskalegislature.gov/senators/landing-pages/index.php?SenatorID=…> (402) 471-2710 Email: mmcdonnell(a)leg.ne.gov<mailto:mmcdonnell@leg.ne.gov> Sen. Teresa Ibach, Vice Chairperson<https://nebraskalegislature.gov/senators/landing-pages/index.php?SenatorID=…> * (402) 471-2805 Email: tibach(a)leg.ne.gov<mailto:tibach@leg.ne.gov> Sen. Robert Clements<https://nebraskalegislature.gov/senators/landing-pages/index.php?SenatorID=…> * (402) 471-2613 Email: rclements(a)leg.ne.gov<mailto:rclements@leg.ne.gov> Sen. Danielle Conrad<https://nebraskalegislature.gov/senators/landing-pages/index.php?SenatorID=…> (402) 471-2720 Email: dconrad(a)leg.ne.gov<mailto:dconrad@leg.ne.gov> Sen. Brian Hardin<https://nebraskalegislature.gov/senators/landing-pages/index.php?SenatorID=…> * (402) 471-2802 Email: bhardin(a)leg.ne.gov<mailto:bhardin@leg.ne.gov> Sen. Tony Vargas<https://nebraskalegislature.gov/senators/landing-pages/index.php?SenatorID=…> (402) 471-2721 Email: tvargas(a)leg.ne.gov<mailto:tvargas@leg.ne.gov> Members, what I am asking of you is that within the next week or sooner please contact the members of the Retirement Systems Committee and ask them to support advancing LB196 out of committee and onto the legislative floor. This is a short legislative session, and we need to be timely and deliberate. Here are a few talking points for when you are asking for their support either by phone or email. * How you believe that passage of LB196 would critically aid in the Nebraska State Patrol’s ability to both recruit and retain troopers. Therefore, helping to maintain the needed manpower provided by the Patrol to ensure a safe and secure Nebraska for all citizens. * Sharing personal perspectives on how any of the three proposed changes in LB196 would affect you or your family. * If you are a constituent of a committee Senator, it would be especially impactful for you to mention that in your communication. I understand that this is a big ask, and honestly if we get LB196 out of committee, I will be asking for your assistance again with gathering support from all the Senators to secure the passage of the Bill. I hope I have done an adequate job in explaining how much of a positive impact LB196 would have for all members. Getting LB196 out of committee is the crucial first step in this process, and the STAN Board will need all your help. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or any members of the STAN board. Thank you, Lucas Bolton Legislative Liaison State Troopers Association of Nebraska STAN PO Box 6729 Lincoln, NE 68506 Cell Phone: 402-278-2468

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