On the deadline for new measures to be approved in the last legislative session of the four-year period, both houses gave way to two bills that address precarious retirement systems that shelter the active and retired public servants.
In the afternoon, the House of Representatives approved with amendments the Senate Bill (PS) 1616, which creates an incentive retirement window for public employees who are covered by the Law 447 of 1951 o la Law 1-1990. These active employees would have until December 31, 2022 to decide whether to join the retreat with a pension equal to 50% of your last salary in the public service.
In the body-approved version, essentially all employees of the government, public corporations and the branches legislative and judicial, excluding participants from the withdrawal systems of the Electric Power Authorityto University of Puerto Rico (UPR) and the members of the judiciary.
The Fiscal Control Board (JCF)In recent days, he has expressed reservations with that piece of legislation that, in case the Senate does not concur with the amendments introduced in the House, would go to the conference committee.
A second project, to establish the “Law for a Worthy Retirement”of the representative Lourdes Ramos, was endorsed by the Senate, albeit with extensive sections of the measure drafted, with the aim of forcing a conference committee.
Ramos indicated to the media that, although the trust that would be created to manage the funds corresponding to the pensioners was eliminated in the Senate, the body would be reinstated in the version to be negotiated in the conference committee. According to the legislator, the measure has the approval of the Authority for Financial Advisory and Fiscal Agency.
“Now that the Senate approved the House Draft 2434, the Law for a Worthy Retirement, We understand that the amendments that have been introduced limit the ability of the Governor and the Legislature to fight for zero cuts in pensions., the protection of our services and maintain the power of the Fiscal Control Board to abuse our people. For this reason, we urge members of the legislature to return the legislation to its original form and pass the legislation without amendment. Until this happens, we will continue to meet in the legislature so that it is known that the support of our old men and women does not play, “said the campaign coordinator in a statement Let’s Build Another Agreement, Julio López Varona.
In addition to creating the trust, the House Bill (PC) 2434 has among its objectives to declare as public policy the opposition to any cut in pensions of public servants. It also provides that, if at any time the government’s fiscal conditions improve, benefits to pensioners could be increased.
During the session, the Senate also approved the PS 1623, which seeks to create the “Law to Provide a Decent Retirement to members of the Police, the Fire Department and custody officers”. This piece establishes various pension scales for these workers, depending on the years of service and the retirement age.
As approved in the Senate, the measure provides that those police officers, firefighters or custody officers who retire after 30 years of service and between 55 and 57 years of age, would receive a pension equivalent to 50% of the last salary. Employees who have worked for 30 years, but who retire at 58 years of age or older, would receive a pension of 55% of their salary.
Those who are over 58 but have entered the retirement system between April 1, 1990 and December 31, 1999, would receive a 50% pension.
In addition, all beneficiaries would be entitled to receive $ 100 per month for a health plan.
However, at the time of publication, the bill, which was approved in the Senate in the presence of several dozen members of police organizations and their families, had not gone down to vote in the House of Representatives.
UPR employees on the air
On the other hand, the PC 2572, another piece by Ramos, which he provides for UPR employees withhold your defined benefit retirement plan, was not considered in the Senate, after receiving unanimous support in the House.
As today is the last day for the cameras to approve new measures, the only possibility that the project would have would be through a call to extraordinary session from the governor Wanda Vazquez.
In April, Vázquez vetoed a joint Ramos resolution ordering the Governing Board of the UPR keep intact the benefits to the participants of the retirement system. For years, the Governing Board and the Retirement Board they have been immersed in a legal struggle by controlling the withdrawal system.
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