An overview of MACo’s advocacy on legislation affecting county pension systems in the 2018 General Assembly.
Follow links for more coverage on Conduit Street and MACo’s Legislative Database.
MACo successfully opposed a bill that would have imposed
several mandates on county and municipal pension systems, upsetting the structure of benefits and programs available to public safety officers injured on the job. The retroactive and finely prescriptive nature of the bill would have overturned a wide range of reasonable local decisions, and could have created legal and tax issues in implementation. House Bill 971 proceeded through the House of Delegates with amendments recommended by MACo, but the bill did not advance in the Senate. Bill Information | MACo Coverage: Disability Pension Bill Advances, With Major Amendments
MACo opposed a bill that increases the limit for a normal service allowance for a member of the Law Enforcement Officers’
Pension System from 60% to 65% of the member’s average final compensation. While House Bill 1042 has a very minor anticipated fiscal effect on county governments, MACo requested an opt-out for county governments that participate in the State Pension System, a courtesy that has been extended before by the State for plan changes. Unfortunately, the legislation passed the General Assembly on the final day of the legislative session without MACo’s amendment and now awaits the Governor’s signature. Bill Information | MACo Coverage: Pension Benefits Increase Would Create an Unbalanced System
