HB 79-PEACE OFFICER/FIREFIGHTER RETIRE BENEFITS  3:54:18 PM CO-CHAIR WOOL announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 79, "An Act relating to participation of certain peace officers and firefighters in the defined benefit and defined contribution plans of the Public Employees' Retirement System of Alaska; relating to eligibility of peace officers and firefighters for medical, disability, and death benefits; relating to liability of the Public Employees' Retirement System of Alaska; and providing for an effective date." 3:54:54 PM REPRESENTATIVE CHUCK KOPP, Alaska State Legislature, as prime sponsor, stated HB 79 is a new defined benefits bill that was modeled after some of the most successful pension plans in the nation. He opined advancing the current bill would provoke a discussion that is long overdue. He continued by highlighting testimony from public safety agencies that addressed a divide between Tier 3 and Tier 4 employees. Essentially, he said, Alaska has become a "five-and-out" training ground that's costing agencies and the state millions of dollars in lost training expenses. Representative Kopp implored committee members to consider if the legislature is adequately addressing public safety concerns. He offered his understanding from hearing previous testimony that the primary issue driving the recruitment and retention problems within public safety agencies is the current Tier 4 system, adding HB 79 is a solution that doesn't increase the liability to the state. He shared his belief that if HB 79 advances and turns out to be successful, it would improve employee retention as well as the public safety of Alaskans and ultimately, the state could apply it to a broader group of employees. 3:59:42 PM The committee took a brief at-ease at 3:59 p.m. 4:00:04 PM CO-CHAIR WOOL acknowledged that the previous public testimony was persuasive and compelling. REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN expressed concern that the current bill does not go far enough, adding she would like to see a stronger health plan and more employees covered. She mentioned she would like to see young Alaskans stay in Alaska. She further noted that she intends on supporting HB 79 but would have hoped that it went further to incorporate more employees. 4:03:05 PM CO-CHAIR LEDOUX stated she was around during the former defined contributions bill and that she was one of the few Republicans in the House that voted against it. She agreed with Representative Hannan that she would also like to see HB 79 cover more employees. Nonetheless, she said she viewed the current bill as a "pilot project" and encouraged others to give it a chance to work. 4:04:47 PM REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS shared his support and stated that he would be curious to see what would happen if there were a broader pool of public employees. CO-CHAIR WOOL thanked Representative Kopp and said he shared the sentiments of his colleagues. He offered his belief that a smaller "pilot project" like this might be more palatable and then changes could be made later. 4:06:41 PM REPRESENTATIVE KOPP acknowledged the importance of proving that this model works in order to demonstrate a path "towards a better tomorrow" for other employees. 4:07:25 PM The committee took a brief at-ease at 4:07 p.m. 4:08:11 PM CO-CHAIR WOOL announced that HB 79 was held over.