IFO 2010 Legislative Goals
Bonding
- Support the MnSCU 2010 Bonding Request.
Funding Issues
- If there is a budget shortfall next session, any cuts that state legislature makes to the MnSCU budget should come from the budget of the MnSCU central office, in particular the technology allocation and central administration, with no charge backs to the campuses.
- If special funding is sought for the “Students First” initiative, finding should go first for the common pay module.
- Advocate that the state budget shortfall be resolved through revenue increases first, then cutbacks and cost shifting second.
- Support a change to the tax structure so that Minnesotans earning over $105,000 pay a higher percentage of Minnesota state and local taxes than those earning less than $105,000.
- Oppose Pawlenty’s Constitutional Amendment to not exceed the revenue from the previous biennium.
- Oppose any waivers from the ARRA (federal stimulus) requirement of maintaining state support for higher education at or above the 2006 funding level.
- Oppose any efforts by the legislature to cut MnSCU funding below the 2006 funding level.
- If MnSCU receives cuts to its appropriation in 2010, the MnSCU central office appropriation should be cut by at least the same percentage as the cuts to campus appropriations.
IRAP/Supplemental Retirement Reforms
- Support legislation to eliminate the requirement that the State Board of Investment selects the IRAP investment options.
- Support legislation saying the consultant that selects the IRAP/Supplemental Vendors must not sell investment products and must publicly disclose any relationships (such as consulting contracts or accounting services) they have with firms that seek to be vendors under the plan.
- Require that the contracts with vendors under the IRAP/DRC plans be made available to the public and the unions representing public employees covered by the plans.
- Allow the option of including one or more State Board of Investment accounts to be offered under IRAP/Supplemental Plans.
- Support allowing TRA buybacks to the beginning of the fiscal year for new faculty members.
- Support sweeping small IRAP accounts from the past into the SRP accounts.
TRA Reforms
- Support a two year suspension in the TRA cost of living adjustment to improve the TRA funding ratio.
- After suspension of the TRA COLA, cap the COLA at actual inflation, but not to exceed 2.5% per year.
- Support a 2% employer/2% employee TRA contribution increase, phased in over a two year period, to improve TRA’s funding.
- Support legislation that would allow a TRA retiree’s monthly benefit to “bounce back” to a singly-life annuity when a court ordered divorce decree specifies that the spouse is not entitled to receive a survivorship annuity.
Bargaining/Contractual Protection
- Oppose any legislative efforts to limit sabbaticals, tenure and promotion, or other contractual rights.
- Oppose creation of new performance pay.
Equality Issues
- Support legislation that would require the state to provide spousal benefits to same and opposite sex domestic partners of state employees.
- Legislation that would require the state to provide health insurance coverage and tuition waiver benefits for domestic partners of state employees.
- Legislation that would provide long term care coverage, and pension and retirement benefits to employees and their domestic partners and dependents, consistent with coverage and benefits provided to employees and their spouses and dependents.
- Support the Dream Act at both the state and federal levels.
- Support a domestic partner law that would provide the same legal protections for same sex couples, or for same and opposite sex couples, as state law provides for married couples.
Other
- Support legislation to amend Minn. Stat. Sec. 13.32, Subd. 1(a) to amend the definition of educational data 1) to clarify that the current exclusion for personal instructional records covered electronically stored personal notes, and 2) to allow such personal instructional records to be retained beyond the end of the school year.