Video & Transcript Research : 'judges retirement system'

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WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Appropriations Jan 15th, 2026 at 04:00 pm

Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:
  • Current law permits retirement systems to pay out benefits in the public employees' retirement systems
  • , teachers' retirement systems, school employees' retirement systems, the public safety employees' retirement
  • systems, and the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' retirement systems if the benefit is initially
  • of Retirement Systems to do so, and many, if not most, have.
  • The Railroad Retirement System provides a separate retirement program for railroad workers, including
Summary: The House Appropriations Committee held a public hearing on three Department of Retirement Systems agency-request bills and House Bill 2160, which was heard last after an agenda change. House Bill 2124 would raise the minimum monthly retirement benefit that can be paid as a lump sum from $50 to $250, with future inflation adjustments by the director; DRS said it would simplify administration, cost about $11,000 to update systems, and have no actuarial impact on pension funds. House Bill 2125 would remove a biennial restriction on using pension fund interest earnings for certain administrative and compliance expenses that protect the funds; DRS said it would continue current practice with no fiscal impact. House Bill 2179 would create a retroactive and prospective exemption from PERS membership for certain port district employees already covered by federal railroad retirement or union-sponsored pension plans; DRS and port representatives supported it as a narrow clarification, while noting a small affected population and a one-time administrative cost of about $18,000. The committee heard no votes or final action on these bills. House Bill 2160 drew the most testimony and questions. The bill would create a presumption of SEBB eligibility for school employees who worked 630 hours in prior years and return to the same type of position, allowing coverage to begin on day one rather than after reaching the threshold again; the sponsor said this would reduce disruptive coverage gaps for substitutes and other classified staff. Supporters, including substitute teachers, bus drivers, paraeducators, and WEA and SEIU representatives, said the current system causes people to bounce on and off insurance, creates hardship for families, and makes it harder to recruit and retain school support staff. Opponents from school administrators, business officials, and school directors argued the bill would increase district costs without additional state funding, create administrative complexity, and could require districts to pay for more eligible months of coverage even when employees later opt out. Health Care Authority director Dave Eiswenger answered committee questions on SEBB administration, explaining that eligibility is determined by district benefits administrators using worksheets and appeal rights, that “position” is interpreted at a broad category level rather than by specific job title, and that the current two-year presumption grew out of earlier part-time eligibility rules and litigation history. He said the bill could affect retirees who currently manage hours across districts to stay below the threshold, and that the fiscal note remains partial/indeterminate because additional analysis was still pending. The committee took no final action and adjourned after public testimony.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Banking, Financial Services and Pensions Feb 10th, 2026 at 03:00 pm

Banking, Financial Services and Pensions

Transcript Highlights:
  • House Bill 3313 has morphed into a fairly large retirement bill.
  • I mean, so we're saying that retirement plans have no benefit.
  • When they hit retirement age, oh, I'm perfect.
  • Retirement best practices get you around 12% of retirement contribution.
  • This is for the DC retirement plan. Thank you for The question. Any other?
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Banking, Financial Services and Pensions Feb 10th, 2026

Banking, Financial Services and Pensions

Transcript Highlights:
  • House Bill 3313 has morphed into a fairly large DC retirement bill.
  • I mean, so we're saying that retirement plans have no benefit to retention?
  • , nobody ever says when they hit retirement age, oh, I'm perfect.
  • I just know retirement best practices get you around 12% of, you know, retirement contribution by changing
  • This is for the DC retirement plan. Thank you for the question. Any other questions?
Summary: The Banking, Financial Services and Pensions Committee met and announced that several bills would be laid over, including HB 4225 and HB 4263, while also noting that actuarial follow-up reports on prior referrals were still being revised. The committee then worked through a long agenda, with members frequently noting schedule conflicts and the chair alternating between bills and committee business. The meeting adjourned after the agenda was completed, with the chair saying the committee would return the following week with a longer agenda, likely including additional pension bills. Several bills related to payment processing and pension governance were heard and passed. HB 3041 would allow merchants to pass along credit card surcharges up to the amount charged by the card company, with the author noting some businesses face fees of 4% to 5%; it passed 9-0. HB 4428 and HB 4429, both dealing with shareholder proxy advisors for pension funds, passed 8-1 and 9-0 respectively; supporters said the bills would require fiduciary standards and transparency, while the speaker referenced opposition from GreenAmerica.org as evidence of the bill’s value. HB 3028, which lets technology center districts and public schools pass on credit card service fees, also passed 7-0. The committee also advanced several pension-related measures. HB 3265, requested by the Police Pension Board, defines who qualifies as a mental health specialist for disability evaluations; testimony explained the change would let the board use psychologists because psychiatrists are harder to contract with, and the bill passed 7-0. HB 3721 would adjust the DROP benefit for public safety officers so surviving spouses can claim it if the officer dies before electing the option; the author said it has no actuarial cost, and it passed 7-0. HB 3313, a defined contribution retirement bill, would raise contribution levels, eliminate vesting delays, and add retirement planning and lifetime income options; members questioned whether it would affect retention or other retirement plans, and it passed 8-0. Other bills addressed creditors, housing, and financial exploitation. HB 3588, a Uniform Law Commission request bill on assignment for the benefit of creditors, was described as codifying existing case law and passed 8-0. HB 1064, which would restrict large institutional investors from buying single-family homes in Oklahoma, was amended in concept during discussion to narrow the hedge fund definition and remove a resale requirement; supporters framed it as protecting homeownership, while opponents raised concerns about restricting sales and the evidence for housing impacts, and it passed 5-2. Finally, HB 3020, the Protections for Financial Exploitation of Protected Adults Act, would let financial institutions place temporary holds and act in good faith when they suspect fraud against vulnerable adults; members asked about training and safeguards, and it passed 9-0.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

03/25/2026 - House Ways & Means

Ways & Means

Transcript Highlights:
  • Senate Bill 1042 allows members of the state treasurer or a state retirement system to invest in virtual
  • Not trying to judge any of it.
  • Chairman, members, Senate Concurrent Resolution 1033 encourages the Arizona State Retirement System and
  • the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System to monitor digital asset exchange-traded funds and make
  • I think that the legislature, with this bill, will be making clear that it wants retirement systems to
WA

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Civil Rights & Judiciary Jan 28th, 2026 at 08:00 am

Civil Rights & Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:
  • Adding a ninth Superior Court judge in Yakima County helps alleviate the mounting stress our local system
  • Thank you, Judge Knott.
  • I am Judge Kevin Knott, and I'm the presiding judge for Yakima County Superior Court.
  • We last added a judge in 1998.
  • properly and judged after that.
Summary: The committee held public hearings on several bills. House Bill 2354 on common interest communities was presented as a trailer bill to the Waukeva, with a proposed substitute that would exempt small middle-housing communities from most Waukeva provisions, exempt certain middle-housing communities from reserve study requirements, raise the audit threshold from $50,000 to $100,000 in annual assessments, and prevent governing documents from shifting responsibility for electric vehicle charging stations and heat pumps away from the unit owner. The sponsor and a community associations representative supported the bill as a targeted cleanup measure for small communities, and there was no opposition testimony. House Bill 2412, which would add a ninth Superior Court judge in Yakima County, drew strong support from the sponsor, county commissioners, the presiding judge, and court staff. Testimony emphasized Yakima County’s population growth, a backlog of more than 2,800 cases older than two years, increased protection order filings, and trial delays affecting families and public safety. The county said it supports the funding share and confirmed the courthouse can accommodate another judge. The hearing was then closed. The committee also heard House Bill 2500 on charitable beneficiary transfers, which would require financial institutions or insurers holding beneficiary-designated property to notify charities after a donor’s death, allow a standardized affidavit process, prohibit demands for personal information or account opening as a condition of payment, and require transfer within 30 days. Charitable organizations testified in support, describing long delays and burdensome paperwork, while credit unions and bankers raised concerns about identity verification, fraud risk, and operational timelines. House Bill 2595 on collateral attacks on criminal judgments would extend the filing deadline for personal restraint petitions from one year to three years and allow the Office of Public Defense to provide direct representation. Supporters argued the current deadline is too short for incarcerated people, especially juveniles and pro se litigants, while prosecutors and victim advocates opposed the bill, citing finality, workload, and victim retraumatization. The committee then heard House Bill 2597, which would create a state civil cause of action for violations of U.S. constitutional rights during civil immigration enforcement, with damages and attorney fees available and some immunity limitations. Supporters framed it as an accountability measure and a remedy for constitutional violations, while law enforcement and other opponents warned about unclear definitions, officer hesitation, and conflicts with federal immunity; the hearing ended with a note that executive session on HB 2597 would be scheduled later.
AL

Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee Apr 23rd, 2025

Finance and Taxation General Fund

Transcript Highlights:
  • Judge, may I comment on that privately? Judge? May I comment on that privately later? Thank you.
  • Senator, I understand you've got an amendment that really unties it from the judges.
  • It doesn't tie the judges with the DAs. ...doesn't tie the judges with the DAs.
  • So exactly how much is it not coupled to any judges? How much is it not coupled to any judges?
  • Judge, is this tied to any kind of index or anything like that?
TX
Transcript Highlights:
  • helps ensure that the Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS) remains a viable and attractive system
  • I don't see any questions, but we have a resource witness from the Texas Municipal Retirement System.
  • It's a new tier established under the Texas Teachers Retirement System in 2014.
  • A new tier was established within the Teacher Retirement System that affected any member who wasn't invested
  • I normally oppose studies, but I know when we get into the retirement system these things need to be
KY
Transcript Highlights:
  • It's uh good to be Retirement System.
  • </c> General Counsel for Teachers Retirement General Counsel for Teachers Retirement System.
  • Again, does not affect the retirement system. The second one does here.
  • </c> funded as determined by the retirement funded as determined by the retirement systems<00:54:33.640
  • </c><01:03:00.640><c> and</c> certainly the retirement system and certainly the retirement system and
Summary: The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer, followed by a roll call confirming a quorum and approval of the prior minutes. A special guest, Dave Eager, was welcomed before the committee moved to presentations from retirement system officials. Bo Craycraft, executive director of the Judicial Form Retirement System, gave a quarterly update on investment performance, asset allocation, and cash flow. He said the plans had held up well amid market volatility, with fiscal year-to-date returns above benchmark and long-term returns remaining strong. He explained that the plans are targeted to a 70% equity/30% fixed-income allocation, that some cash is being held for cash-flow management, and that negative cash flow is expected because of funding and contribution levels. He also said Senate Bill 183, dealing with proxy voting and economic analysis for certain votes, was not expected to materially affect the plans because of their small number of holdings and Bear Trust’s long-term investment approach. Ryan Barrow and Erin Surrod then presented for the Kentucky Pension Authority. They reported positive quarterly performance across the retirement and insurance funds, though results varied by period and remained tied to broader market conditions. They said recent asset-allocation changes had been completed and the funds were now within target ranges. On cash flow, they noted some plans remained negative or near zero, with one plan benefiting from a large appropriation. In the legislative update, they described House Bill 30 as codifying an exclusion from pension-spiking calculations for across-the-board raises, and Senate Bill 10 as increasing retiree health insurance subsidies and changing employee health insurance contribution rules for certain CERS members beginning in 2026. They also said Senate Bill 183 would likely have limited impact, though the agency would review voting policies and incorporate any required economic-analysis procedures.
OK
Transcript Highlights:
  • Members, this bill requires our retirement systems to cast votes in line with their fiduciary duties,
  • A lot of Retirement systems.
  • system.
  • system.
  • I only had one question: do they have the option of doing it like the teacher retirement system if they're
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Government Oversight REVISED - HB3852 -Added Mar 5th, 2026

Government Oversight

Transcript Highlights:
  • Members, this bill requires our retirement systems to cast votes in line with their fiduciary duties,
  • A lot of retirement systems, a lot of taxpayer dollars are turned over to these outfits, and there aren't
  • Members, HB 1739 reinstates the half-pay provision of OLERs, the state law enforcement retirement system
  • system.
  • Would they have the option of doing like teacher retirement system if they're hired through the school
Summary: The committee opened with prayer, laid over House Bill 1784 as dead, and then heard a long series of measures, many related to pensions, retirement systems, elections, and state procurement/reporting. Early bills included HB 3588 on debtor-creditor law updates, HB 3748 on county partnerships with four-year institutions, HB 4303 extending the municipal ordinance publication deadline from 15 to 30 days, HB 4311 increasing the treasurer’s share of the unclaimed property administration fee from 4% to 6%, and HB 3028 allowing CareerTech to charge processing fees. All of these advanced on due pass votes, with some opposition on HB 3588, HB 4311, and HB 3028. A major block of the meeting focused on retirement and pension policy. The committee advanced HB 4428 and HB 4429 on proxy advisor transparency and fiduciary voting standards for retirement systems, with the author arguing they would improve transparency and keep pension decisions focused on financial returns rather than ESG/DEI considerations. Other pension-related bills that passed included HB 4132 creating a cybersecurity safe harbor for local governments, HB 1889 fixing a COLA gap for certain retired police officers and firefighters, HB 3265 defining “mental health specialist” for disability applications, HB 1739 reinstating a half-pay provision in the state law enforcement retirement system, HB 3313 changing the Retirement Freedom Act by raising contribution and match rates and eliminating vesting, HB 2116 expanding eligibility for State Fire Marshal officers, HB 2206 allowing newly hired school resource officers to join OLEERS, HB 3625 expanding school district investment options, and HB 3721 creating a survivor-benefit election for children of certain public safety officers. Most of these passed with little or no debate, though HB 1739 drew questions about actuarial “safe harbor” language and pension funding. The latter part of the meeting centered on a package of government contracting and transparency bills from Representative Strom. HB 3413, HB 3414, HB 3415, HB 3416, HB 3417, HB 3418, and HB 3420 would require more detailed reporting of contracts, subcontractors, consulting services, and post-contract assessments; create public posting and reporting requirements through OMES and Central Purchasing; revise bidding rules for state, county, and municipal entities; require vendor ownership disclosures; allow live-streamed bid openings; and add misdemeanor penalties for violations of Central Purchasing rules. Strom said the package was intended to improve accountability, documentation, and protection of taxpayer dollars. The committee also passed HB 3852 clarifying poll worker list requirements for county election boards, HB 4434 requiring gubernatorial notice when out of state, and HB 2939 removing fax-machine references from statute. Most measures were adopted with policy recommendations and passed on strong votes, and the meeting ended with Chairman West thanking members for their work and adjourned the committee.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Retirement and Government Resources Feb 10th, 2026 at 10:30 am

Retirement and Government Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • What we want is real efficiencies and not a buddy system.
  • Human nature's to get frustrated when there's no way to improve a system.
  • retiring.
  • The number of teachers that retire and get out of our system completely.
  • So, there are six of these systems.
OK

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Retirement and Government Resources Feb 10th, 2026

Retirement and Government Resources

Transcript Highlights:
  • retiring.
  • retiring.
  • and get out of our system completely?
  • and get out of our system completely?
  • Yeah, so there are six of these systems.
Summary: The Committee on Retirement and Government Resources heard several bills dealing with state employment, purchasing, and retirement policy. Senate Bill 1415, by Senator Brooks, would prohibit nondisclosure agreements when a state employee resigns or is terminated, with exceptions for statutorily protected confidentiality such as physician or attorney privilege. Members questioned how the bill would interact with whistleblower protections and sensitive information, but the bill passed 6-1. The committee then considered Senate Bill 1714, by Senator Jett, which would expand an existing state employee suggestion/incentive program to encourage agencies to identify cost savings and efficiencies, require agencies to review recommendations in good faith, and report back on accepted or rejected ideas. Members raised concerns about open meetings, employee notification, written documentation of suggestions, and possible disputes over the value of savings. The author agreed to work on amendments, the title was struck, and the bill passed as amended 5-2. Senate Bill 1962, by Senator Bullard, would move certain purchasing exemptions out of statute and into the administrative rules process so exemptions must be periodically renewed and justified. Supporters said this would reduce personality-driven exemptions and improve oversight, while concerns were raised about ongoing needs and emergency situations. The bill passed unanimously 7-0. The committee also passed Senate Bill 26, which would allow retired teachers to return to work after a 90-day break with a salary set by local districts and a 3% contribution back to the retirement system, and Senate Bill 172, which would tie cost-of-living adjustments for pension systems to funding benchmarks and a rolling average, rather than legislative discretion; both bills passed, with SB 26 passing 7-0 and SB 172 passing 6-1. The chair noted the committee expected at least one more meeting and hoped to finish the following week.
AZ

Arizona 2026 Regular Session

03/09/2026 - Senate Finance

Finance

Transcript Highlights:
  • The Arizona State Retirement System administers a public pension program for qualified employees.
  • Connolly to the Arizona State Retirement System. All right, Secretary, call the roll.
  • For the record, Jessica Thomas, legislative liaison for the Arizona State Retirement System.
  • For the record, Jessica Thomas, legislative liaison for the Arizona State Retirement System.
  • If you as legislative liaison for the Arizona State Retirement System.
WY

Wyoming 2026 Regular Session

Senate Appropriations Committee, February 10, 2026

Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:
  • I think we do have that in our system. I think it's a calculation we could make.
  • and I think it goes outside of system and I think it goes outside of the<00:14:53.600><c> court</c><
  • system system using<00:31:15.640><c> technology</c> using technology using technology and<00:31:17.240
  • system system where<00:31:28.000><c> we</c><00:31:28.120><c> can</c><00:31:28.280><c> have</c> where
  • </c> with our contractors and work on systems with our contractors and work on systems where<00:31:43.680