03/03/2009 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE

         SB  79-MED BENEFITS OF DISABLED PEACE OFFICERS                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:07:51 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  PASKVAN  called the  meeting  back  to  order at  2:07  and                                                              
announced SB 79  to be up for consideration.  CSSB 79(STA) version                                                              
S was before the committee.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
TREVOR  FULTON,  staff  to  Senator McGuire,  sponsor  of  SB  79,                                                              
explained that  it addresses an  odd situation in statute  where a                                                              
public safety  employee who  is disabled in  their 20-25  years of                                                              
service  does not  receive  major medical  coverage.  If they  are                                                              
disabled between their  1-19  year, they do  receive that coverage                                                              
                                        th                                                                                      
and if they  are disabled after that  25  year, they  also receive                                                              
that  coverage.  So, they  have  been  calling  it a  "PERS  gap."                                                              
Public peace  officers shouldn't  have to  deal with this  because                                                              
of the service they give back to the state.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:09:46 PM                                                                                                                    
He said the  Alaska Professional Firefighters Association  and the                                                              
Public Safety Employees  Association have sent letters  of support                                                              
for  SB  79 and  they  are  expecting one  from  the  Correctional                                                              
Officers Association.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
The  State   Affairs  Committee   made  one   change  making   the                                                              
provisions retroactive  to make sure  they included those  who may                                                              
have slipped through that gap already.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  MEYER  asked  if  village   safety  officers  (VPSO)  are                                                              
covered  under the  bill  and if  it had  a  definition of  police                                                              
officer.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR. FULTON answered  that VPSOs are not covered in  the bill; line                                                              
15 on page  2 references 20 years  of credited service  as a peace                                                              
officer under AS 39.35.360 and .370.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PASKVAN   noted  that  the   definition  is  found   in  AS                                                              
39.35.680(30);   that   includes  peace   officers,   correctional                                                              
officers, firefighters, as well as others, but not VPSOs.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MARK   DRYGAS,   President,   Alaska   Professional   Firefighters                                                              
Association, supported SB 79 and offered to answer questions.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PASKVAN closed public testimony.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DAVIS  said she  had heard the  bill before  and supported                                                              
moving it  from committee. She moved  to report CSSB  79(STA) from                                                              
committee  with  individual recommendations  and  attached  fiscal                                                              
note(s). There being no objection, the motion carried.