2016 Legislative Priorities

Click here to download the 2016 RPEC Legislative Priorities

TOP TIER PRIORITIES

• Restoration of the Plan 1 COLA
• Restore PEBB Medicare Subsidy by increasing the subsidy a minimum of $32 per month per subscriber.
• Full funding of employer contribution rates to the pension plans
• Oppose effort to create a new state retirement plan
• Protect and Expand Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid
• Access to affordable health care to all retired public employees

STATE PRIORITIES

Retirement

• Restoration of the Plan 1 COLA
• Continue to support full funding of employer contribution rates as recommended by the State Actuary
• Oppose creation of any new retirement plans for public employees that diminish benefit levels and/or compromises retirement security
• Support legislation to create an automatic default into PERS Plan 2 for new employees
• Continue efforts to strengthen the role of active and retired PERS members in PERS governance
• Support legislation to study possibility of a state based Social Security supplement

Health Care

• Maintain health insurance through PEBB at affordable costs and adequate level of benefit for those who have access
• Support the creation of a public option on the state health insurance exchange to create competitive and affordable rates
• Support and monitor the Office of the Insurance Commissioner in their regulation of Medicare supplement policies and rates to ensure quality plans are as affordable as possible
• Work to maintain and expand access to Dental coverage

Contracting Out/Privatization

• Oppose efforts to privatize or contract out public services

FEDERAL PRIORITIES

Social Security and Medicare

• Continue fight to protect Social Security from privatization
• Protect Social Security funding
• Pass legislation that eliminates the contribution cap to Social Security($118,500 in 2015) and adopts the CPI-E to calculate the cost-of-living adjustments
• Protect Medicare and Medicaid financing, eligibility criteria, benefit levels and insure access
• Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act
• Pursue affordable long-term care options for retirees

• Fight for the elimination of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) which unfairly diminishes the Social Security benefit of some public employees

 

RPEC ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION

• Continue to encourage RPEC member-volunteers to advance RPEC’s legislative agenda and support lobbying activities year around

As approved at the 2015 RPEC Convention