October 30, 2023, Pension Commission Meeting
in Duluth, Minnesota

Agenda - Listening Session

Legislators will take this opportunity to hear from members of the public on the topics of pension and retirement benefits for Minnesota's public employees and the work of the Commission.

Topics under discussion could include:

• what is working well as it relates to Commission hearings and what improvements could be made;
• how best can the Commission solicit public input on the direction of Minnesotans’ retirement investments in the context of a joint legislative commission;
• the current and future landscape of public pension funds and how to prepare to keep plans whole and funded;
• how to ensure all public employees in Minnesota, regardless of income, can benefit from a robust retirement system; and
• protect retirement investments in our state’s public pension and retirement plans to guarantee a well-funded retirement.

★ NO OFFICIAL BUSINESS OR ACTION WILL BE TAKEN AT THIS MEETING ★

• Meeting document: 2023 Session Summary



• Testimony related to pension plans other than teacher plans

  • Tamara Lemke, a Program Facilitator at St. Louis County Jail, to speak on retirement coverage and plan eligibility for employees of the Programs Department
  • Seth Justice Loeffler-Kemp, St. Louis County 911 Dispatcher and Executive Board Member of AFSCME Local 66 (Arrowhead Region), to speak on enhanced pension benefits and the retirement age for 911 telecommunicators
  • Brian Rice, on behalf of the Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters (MPFF) and the Minnesota Police Fraternal Association (MPFA), to speak on PERA Police and Fire Plan cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) improvements (Rice handout)
  • Michael Nelson, MSRS retiree and Vice-President of AFSCMEMN Chapter 5 Retirees United, to speak on COLA improvements

• Testimony related to the Teachers Retirement Association

  • Denise Specht, Education Minnesota President
  • Bridget Peterson, Media Specialist, Esko Public Schools
  • Caitlin Effa, Education Minnesota Aspiring Educators President, University of Minnesota Duluth Education Student
  • Kim Hannan, Academic Specialist, Osseo Area Schools
  • Brian Cole, Orchestra Teacher, Moorhead Area Public Schools
  • Melissa Larson, University of Minnesota Duluth Education Student (Larson testimony)
  • Betty Greene, a MSRS and TRA retiree, to speak on COLAs and pensions as a recruiting tool for teachers (Greene testimony)
  • Bob Laine, 30-year teacher, to speak on disparities between TRA tier I and tier II teachers
  • Karl Kaufmann, teacher
  • Steve Clouse, representing TRA tier II teachers, to speak on pension reform and lowering the normal retirement age for tier II teachers
  • Blaine Novak (Superintendent at New York Mills Public Schools) and Michael Malmberg (Superintendent at Pillager Public Schools), representing the Minnesota Association of School Administrators, to speak on pension improvement for teacher recruitment and retention (Malmberg/Novak handout)
  • Kristy Streveler, a member of the Esko Education Association, to speak on pension reform
  • Angela Paulson, Vice President of the Esko Education Association, to speak on the Rule of 90 and the normal retirement age for teachers
  • Jim Olson, a member of the Duluth Federation of Teachers, to speak about TRA
  • Lonnie Duberstein, representing Retired Educators Association of Minnesota (REAM) (REAM handout)
  • Joan Beaver, representing Education Minnesota Retired, to speak on COLAs
  • Maggie Temple, teacher
  • Katie Dickerson from Eden Prairie to speak on pension reform
  • Joseph Rocco, 30-year teacher, Hibbing High School
  • Dan Larson, member of Education Minnesota-Retired Governing Board (D. Larson Testimony)

If you would like to speak at the meeting, please contact Commission staff at sean.kelly@lcpr.mn.gov. Those who do not sign up in advance may be able to speak at the meeting if time permits.

ACCESSIBILITY/ACCOMMODATION: To comment on digital accessibility to meeting information, please submit comments using the Accessibility Comment Form. To request an accomodation, please visit FAQs for Disability Access or contact the Legislative Coordinating Commission at lcc@lcc.mn.gov.