At its October meeting, the Joint Committee on Pensions heard a presentation of the legislative proposals submitted by the Maryland State Pension Board of Trustees (BoT) for the 2019 session.

The BoT representatives presented 14 proposals for the Joint Committee’s consideration. The proposals were described as mostly administrative in nature and intended to clarify or correct inconsistencies, remove obsolete provisions, or increase efficiencies. The proposals address:

1. Notarization
2. Certification of Payment of Member Contributions
3. Alternative Contributory Pension Selection – Vesting
4. Workers’ Compensation Offset
5. Purchase of Eligibility Service by EPS Members
6. Optional Retirement Program – Regulations
7. State Police Retirement System – Reemployment
8. Local Employers Cash Outs
9. Preserving Unused Sick Leave for EPS Members Required to Join the Correctional Officers’ Retirement System
10. Rescission of Designated Beneficiary Change
11. Employee’s, Teachers’, and Correctional Officers’ Active Death Benefit
12. Modification of Municipal Pension Surcharges
13. Reopening of Disability Claims
14. Queen Anne’s County Joining the CORS

In particular, the Modification of Municipal Pension Surcharges proposal is a correction to rates that went into effect following major pension reforms of 2011. This proposal has been put forth as legislation before, and failed to reach passage in the General Assembly.

This proposal could increase by approximately 2.1% the employer contribution rates that Prince George’s County and several municipalities pay into the State Retirement System as members. Based on the 2016 version of this legislation, those municipalities affected may include Crisfield, Emmitsburg, Frostburg, Middleton, North Beach, and Taneytown.

For more information, see 2018 Board Requested Legislation for the 2019 Session.