2009 House Bill 117 (Allow counties to continue underfunding employee health benefits)

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Introduced by Rep. Mike Cherry (D) on January 6, 2009, to delay the requirement on county governments to start making required annual payments into the County Employee Retirement System (CERS) health insurance fund until 2018. The bill requires the board of trustees of Kentucky Retirement Systems to create a ten year phase-in schedule by July 1, 2009 for CERS to follow in approaching full payments.
- Referred to the House State Government Committee on January 7, 2009.
  - Reported in the Senate on February 5, 2009, favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar.
  - Referred to the House Rules Committee on February 6, 2009.
Passed in the House (67 to 26) on February 12, 2009. [Vote Details and Comments]
Received in the Senate on February 13, 2009.
- Referred to the Senate State and Local Government Committee on February 23, 2009.
- Referred to the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee on March 9, 2009.
- Reported to the Senate Rules Committee on March 12, 2009.
Passed in the Senate (29 to 9) on March 12, 2009. [Vote Details and Comments]
Signed by Gov. Steve Beshear on March 24, 2009.

Most Recent Comments

1) Re: 2009 House Bill 117 (Allow counties to continue underfunding employee health benefits) [by kentuckytom on January 21, 2009]

We need to get this under control, but the bad decisions of past leadership in urban county governing areas has made our systems into a mess. Overspending on public safety with guaranteed raises, ridiculous compensation plans, and abuse of payouts has made a crisis of something that could have been handled if properly planned. Due to the current economic issues, loss of revenues, requests to spend even more like in Senate Bill 16, and our inability to move forward quickly is just making it worse. If we must underfund employee health benefits, we should be working on a plan to get into positive funding much sooner than 10 years.

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2) Re: 2009 House Bill 117 (Allow counties to continue underfunding employee health benefits) [by Chuck Morrow on January 15, 2009]

NO this extension of time should NOT be allowed. The legislators created this retirement funding mess by failing to fully fund the systems for years and years. It will cost us MORE to catch up the funding over a ten year period than it will to just suck it up and do it over the five year period set up last year! We MUST get the retirement systems of firm ground and the sooner we get this done the better off all of us will be!

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3) 2009 House Bill 117 (Allow counties to continue underfunding employee health benefits) [by admin on January 1, 2001]
Introduced in the House on January 6, 2009

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