archived minutes

 

 

HASA LEGISLATIVE AND BENEFITS COMMITTEE MINUTES - June 28, 2004

The meeting was held at the SAC Building in the School Board Auditorium.  The meeting began at 5:00 and concluded at 6:00 PM.  Present at the June 28th meeting were:  Connie Milito, Rick LeGendre, Susan King, Linda Cobbe, Ernest Fernandez, Lou Cerreta, Mike Phillips, and Deborah Henry. The following items were covered and decisions made: 

  1. Connie Milito reviewed the 2004 legislative session and discussed some specific issues such as the issue with making Social Security Numbers public, and the passage and signing of the Sick Leave Bill.
  2. The group discussed some possible issues for the 2005 legislative session.  Among those mentioned were:  Extending the DROP for administrators and allowing administrators to return from retirement immediately rather than having to wait for a year; Raise the annual multiplier for retirement from 1.6 to 2%; using the best 3 years salaries for calculating retirement, make 25 years of service normal retirement; and increase the state supplement toward retiree health insurance premiums from the existing $5 to $7.
  3. Rick LeGendre and his committee will study the list of employees from different agencies that are covered by Florida Retirement System to see what percentage multiplier they receive.
  4. Susan King will be scheduling a HAPE meeting so the legislative issues for 2005 can be discussed.  HAPE will also determine when to begin lobbying the local legislative delegation.
  5. Linda Cobbe will initiate the procedure of surveying Hillsborough legislators running for re-election to determine who we want to endorse and support with financial contributions.
  6. Ernest Fernandez requested that the group provide input regarding HASA’s Legal Defense Assistance Program coverage for retired members.  The overall consensus of the group was that retired members who may request work related legal assistance must meet the following qualifications:  They qualify if they are working for the school district and receive a W-2 Form and a district payroll check.  They would not qualify if they submit a 1099 Form for reimbursement and are paid by Accounts Payable.   
  7. Lou Cerreta will pursue Discount services providers to see if our members like what we now have and if advisable to look for other providers to add to or replace some of those that we already have.

The group decided to meet again on Monday July 26, 2004, at 5:00 PM in the SAC Board Auditorium.