We managed to hold HB 2097 in committee as of 9:30 Wednesday night when the legislative session came to a close. When I left they still had a few bills that had been amended in either the House or Senate to consider for final passage. They passed HB 1087 that authorizes, in Sec 105, the Actuary to conduct a study to determine the fiscal impact of a merger of LEOFF 1 and LEOFF 2.

The appropriations in this section are subject to the following conditions and limitations: $75,000 of the department of retirement services account--state appropriation is for the state actuary to study the issue of merging the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' retirement system plans 1 and 2 into a single retirement plan. The department of retirement systems shall assist the state actuary by providing such information and advice as the state actuary requests, and the state actuary may contract for services as needed to conduct a study. The results of the study shall be reported to the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate by December 12, 2011.

(1) Among the issues related to the merger of the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' retirement system plans 1 and 2 into a single retirement plan that shall be examined: 

(a) Changes to the assets available to pay for the benefits of each plan before and after a merger based on a range of possible economic and demographic experience; and

(b) Changes to the projected contributions that might be required of members, employers, and the state, based on a range of possible economic and demographic experience and a variety of funding policies, including both continued application of current funding policy to the benefit obligations of each plan, and application of the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' retirement system plan 2 funding policies to the combined benefits of both plans;

(2) The state actuary shall solicit the input of the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' retirement system plan 2 retirement board and organizations representing members and retirees of the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' retirement system plan 1 on the issue of the merger of the two state plans, and include representative submissions of the input of the organizations along with the report.

I will meet with Jerry Taylor and Ken Crowder on Tuesday to make recommendation as to our next course of action regarding the study and any future legislation.

Thank you for your support and participation.