Legislature Passes Retirement Bill

The Oregon House and Senate have passed versions of improved retirement legislation for the state’s 911 dispatchers, allowing them to retire after 25 years of service, regardless of the retiree’s age. The state’s dispatchers have been working on such legislation for 15 years, but it has never had political support. In 2005 the concept of dropping the previous age 55 requirement was finally embraced by the state’s legislators, but passage was still denied. This year the bill was fully supported and passed the House on May 3rd on a 41-5 vote. Last Tuesday the Senate passed the legislation 26-3, and the bill is now headed to Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who has expressed no opposition to the bill. The bill’s one limitation is that cost-of-living increases don’t apply to those who retire before age 55. The legislation was guided through the legislature by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the union that represents most of the state’s dispatchers. Download (pdf) the House version of the bill here.