2016 July ORTA News Bulletin
Transcription
2016 July ORTA News Bulletin
July 2016 President’s Message Greetings from Anna Marie Island in Florida! I am writing this message while on vacation attending a granddaughter’s destination wedding and spending a week’s vacation with my children and grandchildren. I am daily reminded of how fast time passes as I watch grandchildren who seemed to have been infants only yesterday mature into fine young people, now taking responsibility for their own daily decisions. It reminds me of the importance of planning for the future, as the future arrives all too soon. You can be assured that the ORTA team is daily doing all we can to continue to assure that the Ohio retired teachers’ pension plan is secured and to help supply other benefits to our retired teachers. As I attend softball and baseball games during the summer, I constantly hear the parents in the stands call out to the batters, “Protect, protect…you’ve got to protect.” This could apply to our retirements as well as the game of softball or baseball. We’ve got to “protect.” No one will do it for us. I hope you summer is going well, and that your chapter is increasing in membership. Helena Zvansky and Bruce Hodges recently returned from a membership meeting in Austin, Texas, home office for AMBA. They will soon be sharing the ideas and strategies for membership growth they learned there with the ORTA Executive Committee and the Membership Committee. We will be anxious to implement any strategies that will help us grow membership here in Ohio. We are also working on forming ad hoc committees for planning the ORTA 70th Anniversary celebration for 2017, and the study of the strategic plan for ORTA. Please continue to send any info concerning your Habitat projects completed to news@orta.org for posting on our social media and future newsletters. Take care, and continued best wishes. Carol Remington, President Are You Missing Out On Important STRS News? Have you signed up to receive the automatic STRS eUPDATES? If not, you could be missing out on valuable information. To sign up, visit www.strsoh.org, click on the black box that says SUBSCRIBE, and tell them you want to receive the eUPDATES. Not only do you receive information following each Board meeting, but at any time there may be additional information to be disseminated, an additional eUPDATE is sent out. To read the June STRS update, see the enclosed attachment. Legislative News SHIPs Eliminated, SCSEP Cut in Funding Bill Recently, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY17 Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations bill with a nearly unanimous vote of 29-1. While there were some increases in aging services, two critical programs were targeted for significant cuts including the Medicare State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). https://www.ncoa.org/news/ncoa-news/public-policy-news/ships-eliminatedscsep-cut-in-fy17-funding-bill/ ObamaCare Tax Hike to Hit Retirees Next Year, but Sens. Brown, Portman Want to Stop it Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown want to delay a tax change that could cost seniors who itemize their medical expeneses on their taxes. http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2016/06/obamacare_tax_hike_will_hit_re.html#incart_river_index House Passes Pension Forfeiture Legislation; Work on Omnibus Pension Bill Continues In the final weeks of the legislative session, before breaking for the summer and the elections, the Ohio Legislature sent numerous bills to the governor for his approval and passed many other bills from one chamber to the other. https://gallery.mailchimp.com/42972b2b6d2abc00e9d7da5cf/files/Legislative_Update.pdf ORSC Passes Budget, Makes Legislative Recommendations The Ohio Retirement Study Council (ORSC) met on June 9 and approved its fiscal year 2017 budget and accepted staff’s recommendations on several pieces of legislation. https://gallery.mailchimp.com/42972b2b6d2abc00e9d7da5cf/files/Legislative_Update.pdf Puerto Rico Legislation Moving Without Inclusion of PEPTA Language The Public Pension community has expressed tremendous concern that legislation before Congress designed to provide financial assistance to Puerto Rico would eventually contain new pension reporting requirements. https://gallery.mailchimp.com/42972b2b6d2abc00e9d7da5cf/files/Legislative_Update.pdf Retired Teachers Award Scholarships Guernsey County Retired Teachers recently awarded their 2016 scholarship to Alexis Weaver. The $1,000 scholarship is funded through the donations of retired teachers in Guernsey County. Weaver, a graduate of Cambridge High School, will attend Ohio University Zanesville to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education. The scholarship is awarded to a Guernsey County resident who is entering the field of education. It is based on recommendations, grade point average, class rank, activities, ACT test score, and an essay on their interest in teaching. Alexis Weaver The Gallia County Retired Teachers recently awarded scholarships at their June 9 meeting at First Baptist Church in Gallipolis. Three scholarships were awarded to Peyton Browning, Jordan Walker and Tristan Davis. Peyton is a recent graduate of River Valley High School. She plans to attend Ohio University and major in speech and language with the goal of becoming a school speech and language pathologist. Jordan is a recent graduate of Gallia Academy. She plans to attend the University of Rio Grande and major in Primary Education. Tristan is a recent graduate of South Gallia High School. He plans to attend Marshall University and major in Secondary Education with a focus in the area of English. (From left) Jordan Walker, Tristan Davis, Peyton Browning The Logan County Retired Teachers met Tuesday, June 24 at Helmuth Catering in Rushsylvania, Ohio. The evening was highlighted with the presentation of a $1,000 scholarship to Heather Johnson, a recent graduate of Bellefontaine High School. She is the daughter of Doug and Charity Johnson. Heather will be attending The Ohio State University to obtain a degree in Music Education, majoring in trumpet. The program for the evening was a presentation by Kris Swisher explaining the newly acquired grant and future plans of the Holland Theatre. The entertainment for the meeting were saxophone duets by Nick Pelfrey and Larry Walker. The Clark County Retired Teachers Association has awarded $1000 scholarships to three future teachers. These scholarships are given each year to students from Clark County public high schools as they begin their third or fourth year in a teacher education curriculum in a college or university. Sarah Durham, daughter of James and Elizabeth Helwagen of Springfield and David Durham of Cedarville, received the Dr. Brian Weber Family/CCRTA Scholarship of $1000. A graduate of Kenton Ridge High School, Sarah begins her third year at Capital University studying vocal music education. Megan Haerr, daughter of Scott and Amy Haerr of Springfield, received the Heartland Federal Credit Union/CCRTA Scholarship of $1000. Megan graduated from Kenton Ridge High School and will begin her senior year at Miami University studying integrated mathematics education and mathematics. Christina Hill, daughter of John and Janice Hill of Springfield, received the CCRTA Memorial Scholarship of $1000. This scholarship was funded in part by donations in memory of Mr. Wallace Smith and Mr. Roger Schneider. Christina graduated from Kenton Ridge High School and begins her third year at The Ohio State University studying integrated language arts and English. Megan Haerr and Sarah Durham (Not pictured: Christina Hill) Recent Headlines New law, born from HB 116, is boon to people on multiple prescriptions: State Rep. Tim Ginter Cleveland Plain Dealer Guest Column, June 26, 2016 Gallia Retired Teachers Award Scholarships Gallipolis Daily Tribune, June 25, 2016 Some Charter Schools Close in Wake of Ohio Reform Dayton Daily News, June 20, 2016 State School Board Resists a "Trophies for All" Push, Makes Small Changes to Math Graduation Requirements Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 15, 2016 Husted's Office To Reach Out to Eligible Voters Who Aren't Registered The Columbus Dispatch, June 15, 2016 Kasich OKs Restoring Sales Tax Exemption Toledo Blade, June 15, 2016 Trumbull Teachers Receive A+ Trumbull Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) helped choose members of the A+ Teachers group. Members of the A+ group include (seated from left to right): Karen Conkey and Kathleen Fetcenko. Standing (left to right) are Corey Pate and Sue Schafer. Schafer has sponsored this special recognition for more than twenty years. This is the first year the TRTA has joined in the project. Photo by Roselyn Gadd Insurance Update and Benefit Information The MetLife Auto and Home insurance benefit will be ending, effective Dec. 31, 2016. Anyone who currently has a policy can keep it as long as they pay the premiums. Negotiations are in process with another auto and home provider to offer the auto and home insurance discounts for ORTA members and it is expected that it will be in place before the end of the year, if not sooner. AMBA has added 3 new benefits: Nationwide Pet Insurance, Orlando Employee Discounts, and Cruise and Vacation Benefits (a division of Tour Aid Travel). For more information, see enclosed. Licking County Member Gets into Character Licking County Retired Teachers had a visit from Ben Franklin at its June meeting. Member Dennis Kohler portrayed Ben Franklin in “1776: A Musical Play” presented by the Licking County Players. The play ran from June 30 until July 2 at the John & Mary Alford Performing Arts Hall (John Gilbert Reese Canter) on The Ohio State University Newark campus. Dennis is well known for his involvement in plays presented by the Licking County Players, as well as Weathervane Playhouse. Dennis Kohler Association Member Benefits Advisors Hosts ORTA Members The AMBA recently hosted ORTA members in Texas at the Texas Retired Teacher's Association to share best practices in membership recruitment. The team snapped this picture in the Capital Room, overlooking the capital building in Austin. (From Left) Tim Lee (Executive Director of the Texas RTA), Helena Zvansky (ORTA Membership Coordinator), Jeanie Coffey (AMBA National Director of Association Relations), Bruce Hodges (ORTA Membership Committee Chair), and Jerry Morgan (AMBA President). Geauga County Retired Teachers Celebrate 50 Years In June, the Geauga County Retired Teachers celebrated their 50th anniversary. Ninety-two members attended the special dinner at Fowler's Mill Golf Course. Renowned Cleveland personality Dick Blake and ORTA Executive Director John Cavanaugh were the main speakers for the meeting. Ohio Senator John Eklund also presented the members with a congratulatory proclamation from the Ohio Senate. Ohio Representative David Joyce also sent a certificate of recognition and achievement. Nine past GCRTA presidents were present and recognized for their contributions to the organization. Temporary Job Opportunities for Retired Teachers Westat is seeking motivated individuals, who are committed to excellence and are experienced in working with primary and secondary school students. Westat is recruiting for the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as NAEP or The Nation’s Report Card, for the National Center for Education Statistics, which is part of the U.S. Department of Education. The position involves conducting assessment sessions with 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade students in participating schools across the country. Each session lasts approximately 90 minutes, and involves about 30 students. You will work on a team but will conduct some sessions alone. This opportunity is ideal for retired educators. Your duties will include: • Preparing assessment materials and assessment locations, • Checking student attendance, • Reading directions aloud to the students from a prepared script, • Monitoring the sessions, • Answering student questions using prepared guidelines, • Collecting completed assessment materials, and • Preparing completed materials for shipping. Westat provides complete paid training for all job responsibilities, paid time and mileage reimbursement for local driving to and from schools, weekly paychecks with direct deposit available, and opportunities for advancement based on performance. Qualified applicants must: • Have a high school diploma or GED • Be available to work 20-30 hours per week during school hours, when work is available, between the end of January and early March 2015 • Be willing to complete background check requirements, including an FBI fingerprint check • Have access to broadband internet connection and personal, private email account • Have a valid (current) driver’s license that is not under suspension and regular access to an insured, reliable vehicle in order to travel to and from schools, • Have the ability to lift a box weighing 15 pounds and carry it up the stairs with or without a reasonable accommodation, • Be available to work 20 to 30 hours a week, during daytime hours from January 26 to March 6, 2015, and • Complete three required components of training, including an online course to be completed independently, a web-based video conference, and a half-day in-person meeting during January 2015. This opportunity is a part-time, temporary position with limited benefits. To apply for this position, click the link to our Online Application. Search for your state, find the NAEP Assessment Administrator position and select the "apply to job" button. Online applications will be accepted beginning in May 2014. For more information e-mail NAEPrecruit@westat.com or call 1-888-237-8036. Mahoning Retired Teachers Association Holds Annual “In Memoriam” Program The Mahoning Retired Teachers recently met for its annual "In Memoriam" program at Antone's Banquet Center in Boardman. All deceased Mahoning County public school educators for the 2015-2016 membership year were eulogized. A National Geographic book entitled, "The National Parks" has been purchased on behalf of the "John M. Knapick Memorial" in honor of deceased MRTA members. It will become part of the permanent collection of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County. Among those who honored the deceased members are (from left to right): Sally Knapick Winsen, In-Memoriam chairperson; Susan Harris, MRTA president; and Martha Lopez, Remembrance chairperson. Missing from the picture is Mary Jane Lewis, historian. We Salute You! Dougherty's Work Featured At Butler Institute of American Art Flo Hosa Dougherty, former Youngstown resident and Boardman High School teacher, will be featured at the Butler Institute of American Art with a retrospective show of 46 paintings, July 10 - August 28. A special opening reception will be held Sunday, July 17, 1-3PM with the artist present. The public is invited. Flo’s fine art and fun art range in styles from realism to non-objective in oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache and mixed media. Regions of Ohio and scenes of New Mexico where she now resides are represented. After a 30 year teaching career, mostly at Boardman High as the art department chairperson, students will remember her as the advisor of the yearbook and art club besides the initiator of the Art Honor Society. She was active in the community and promoted area and state related student competitions and events. Lewis Publishes New Book Congratulations to retired teacher Donna Lewis who recently published a new book titled, “Animal Tails.” "Animal Tails" is a lively rhyming book that delights young children with guessing games and adorable animals. Kids will engage critical thinking as they playfully make predictions about tails of many textures, patterns, shapes and uses. The book is available for purchase on Amazon. Ohio Retired Teachers Association • 8050 N. High St., STE. 190 phone: 614.431.7002 • fax: 614.431.7003 • email: ortastaff@orta.org www.orta.org Legislative News State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio | 275 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215-3771 | 888-227-7877 | www.strsoh.org At the Statehouse Senate, House pass dozens of bills before summer break House passes pension forfeiture legislation; work on omnibus pension bill continues I N THE FINAL weeks of the legislative session — before breaking for the summer and the elections — the Ohio Legislature sent numerous bills to the governor for his approval and passed many other bills from one chamber to the other. None of the bills that landed on the governor’s desk were of particular importance to STRS Ohio. Notable among the bills that the House passed and sent to the Senate was House Bill 284 — a pension forfeiture bill — sponsored by Reps. Marlene Anielski (R-Walton Hills) and Mike Dovilla (R-Berea). H.B. 284 would add to the list of criminal offenses, including some federal offenses, which could cause offenders to forfeit their state pension. The House approved the bill by a vote of 95–2, following passage by the House Judiciary Committee earlier this year. It now moves over to the Senate, which failed to act on similar legislation sponsored by the same representatives during the previous General Assembly. STRS Ohio has not taken a position on H.B. 284, but is monitoring the legislation. Among the many bills that may be moving when the legislature reconvenes following the November elections is H.B. 520 that contains a number of provisions requested by the five retirement systems. Reps. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton) and Dan Ramos (D-Lorain) are co-sponsors of this legislation. In May, Legislative News noted that H.B. 520 also contains language regarding the alternative 43-124, 6/16/40 1 retirement plan (ARP) mitigating rate. The ARP mitigating rate is a portion of the employer contribution that is forwarded to the pension system to help offset the negative impact to the system resulting from participation in an ARP. Alternative retirement plans are defined contribution plans offered by private vendors and are only available to full time higher education faculty. The current ARP mitigating rate for STRS Ohio is 4.5%. This means for individuals who choose the ARP, 4.5% of the 14% employer contribution is directed to the system as recognition of the employer’s obligation to help fund the system, and 9.5% is allocated to the individual’s ARP account. Language in H.B. 520 provides for a formula to calculate the mitigating rate and requires the rate to be recalculated every five years. Most concerning to STRS Ohio, the bill also places a cap on the mitigating rate of 4%. Rep. Schuring has shared with STRS Ohio that he is committed to raising the cap to 4.5%. STRS Ohio anticipates an amended or substitute bill when the legislature returns in November with a rate cap of 4.5%. The House Health and Aging Committee held a number of hearings on H.B. 520 before the break, but no action was taken, pending the action by the Ohio Retirement Study Council. The Council met on June 9 and H.B. 520 was on its agenda. (See related story on Page 2). STRS Ohio submitted written testimony for the Health and Aging Committee’s consideration. The testimony is available through the governmental relations office. JUNE 2016 STATE TEACHERS RETIREMENT BOARD CAROL CORRETHERS, Chair Contributing Member ROBERT STEIN, Vice Chair Retired Teacher Member CRAIG C. BROOKS Appointed Member TAIYIA L. HAYDEN Contributing Member MARK HILL Contributing Member YOEL MAYERFELD Appointed Member JAMES MCGREEVY Retired Teacher Member TIM MYERS Contributing Member DALE PRICE Contributing Member LONNY J. RIVERA Superintendent of Public Instruction MICHAEL J. NEHF Executive Director GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS MARLA BUMP Director Phone: 614-227-4012 Fax: 614-744-3341 Email: bumpm@strsoh.org ORSC passes budget, makes legislative recommendations T HE OHIO RETIREMENT STUDY COUNCIL (ORSC) met on June 9 and approved its fiscal year 2017 budget and accepted staff’s recommendations on several pieces of legislation. Rep. Schuring (R-Canton), one of the co-sponsors of H.B. 520, informed the Council that the chair of the House Health and Aging Committee has agreed to hold a hearing on the legislation in September. At that time, Rep. Schuring intends to amend the bill with ORSC’s recommended changes so it will be ready for a vote by the full House when members return in November. He said he would like to have the bill pass both chambers before the end of session. The budget approved by the Council was for $759,350, which is a 0.64% reduction from last year’s budget. Because of a carryover of nearly $166,000 from the current budget, the total request from the five systems will be $593,529.72. The ORSC is funded by Ohio’s five statewide retirement systems, with each system paying a share of the budget based on the system’s assets in proportion to the total assets of the systems combined. STRS Ohio pays 38.4% of the Council’s budget, which will be $227,678.05 for fiscal year 2017. ORSC staff reviewed House Joint Resolution 6 — a proposed constitutional amendment that would require all five retirement systems to divest of any direct investments in companies that have any commercial association with certain strategic industries in certain prohibited countries. Staff recommended that the Council disapprove H.J.R. 6 because it establishes a precedent that trust funds may be used for purposes other than the exclusive benefit of the membership; it undercuts the prudent person rule with an investment mandate that has no logical public policy end; the divestment provisions are unclear and unwieldy; it creates a bias against some but not all governmental defined benefit plans and the active management of their funds; and it does not encourage the long-term, consistent, conservative stewardship of retirement system funds and modifies the long-term stability and consistency of state policy regarding the systems. Council members approved the recommendation with a 5–0 vote. Council also approved staff recommendations for six pieces of legislation, four of which the ORSC heard reports on at its last meeting. The first recommendation was for Senate Bill 303 and House Bill 503, two similar bills that make changes to the laws governing the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review. ORSC staff recommended that the Council approve the bills, as the House made changes to the bill that addressed ORSC staff concerns. Council voted 5–0 to approve staff’s recommendation. Council also approved staff’s recommendations on House Bill 520, a piece of legislation that largely involves statutory corrections being requested by all five retirement systems. The bill also includes a new formula for determining the mitigating rate for the alternative retirement plans. Finally, staff reviewed House Bill 292 and Senate Bill 27 for the first time. Both of these bills affect the Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund and would add certain types of cancer to the list of statutorily presumed on-duty disabilities. Staff recommended that the ORSC approve these bills, which the Council did with a vote of 5–0. ORSC staff recommended that the Council approve H.B. 520, but that two STRS Ohio provisions should receive additional review and consideration. These provisions are (1) the proposed change to exclude employer contributions from the additional annuity for certain compensation that is excluded from use in determining a member’s final average salary, and (2) the proposed provision that would exclude military credit that does not interrupt public service from the definition of “qualifying credit” if the credit is transferred from the Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund and the Ohio Highway Patrol Retirement System. This is consistent with its treatment if the credit is purchased in STRS Ohio, the School Employees Retirement System of Ohio or the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. Additionally, Council staff noted that the formula for determining the mitigating rate needs clarification. STRS Ohio Legislative News — June 2016 The Council is scheduled to meet next on July 14, at the call of the chair. 2 Issues on Capitol Hill Puerto Rico legislation moving without inclusion of PEPTA language T HE PUBLIC PENSION community has expressed tremendous concern that legislation before Congress designed to provide financial assistance to Puerto Rico would eventually contain new pension reporting requirements. Specifically, STRS Ohio and the pension community oppose the concepts embodied in the Public Employee Pension Transparency Act (PEPTA). To date, the Puerto Rico legislation has not picked up PEPTA-like provisions, and national groups such as the National Council on Teacher Retirement (NCTR) and the National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA) remain cautiously optimistic that Congress will pass the Puerto Rico bill minus these potential add-ons. unfunded liabilities using a discount rate based on U.S. Treasuries rate. The lower discount rate would have a negative impact on the funded status of the pension plans. PEPTA would also deny federal tax-exempt status for state and local government bonds if these entities fail to comply with the requirements. Just before Memorial Day, the House Committee on Natural Resources approved House Resolution 5278, the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA). During the committee process, no attempts were made to include PEPTA provisions, though there were efforts made last December to bring in the PEPTA requirements when Congress initially set-out to assist Puerto Rico in another legislative vehicle. Leigh Snell, the federal relations director for NCTR, said he expects the full House will take up and pass the new legislation soon — and that the U.S. Senate will at least attempt to follow suit before July 1. The PEPTA provisions are contained in House Resolution 4822, and are often referred to as the Nunes legislation, after sponsor Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA). H.R. 4822 would impose new and conflicting Federal reporting requirements including the requirement that public pension plans report 3 STRS Ohio Legislative News — June 2016 h Association Member B enefit throug e l b s Adv a il isors ( Ava AMBA ) w Ab AMB y m . ww enefits.info Membership with your association is required in order to obtain benefits. Dental & Vision Plans Freedom to use any dentist and no network required. Routine cleanings and exams are part of the plan and there are no referrals required for specialty care. Vision Service Plan (VSP) is the largest national quality eye care company. VSP offers one-stop shopping and discounts for your eye care needs. Call: 800.258.7041 | myAMBAbenefits.info Long Term Care/Home Health Care Insurance AMBA will build a Long Term Care policy to match association members’ needs. 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