After repeated attempts, non-controversial legislation that will benefit Jefferson City has been signed into law.
Gov. Jay Nixon this week signed a bill to allow local governments to transfer their closed pension systems to the state-operated Local Government Employees Retirement System (LAGERS).
The proposal has been supported by local authorities, LAGERS officials and state lawmakers. Last year, despite winning a unanimous Senate vote and overwhelming House support, the measure languished in committee. Such are the vicissitudes of the lawmaking process, particularly proposals that affect few constituents.
Since February 2011, new hires at Jefferson City Fire Department have been enrolled in LAGERS.
But, Fire Chief Matt Schofield said 57 people continue to receive payments from a closed pension fund, administered by the city.
The new law will authorize the city transfer those people to the state-operated retirement system.
"The pension board has been seeking to achieve this for quite some time," Schofield said. "We were kind of one of the driving forces, along with LAGERS, to get this done."
The new law creates no mandates, adds little or no burden to LAGERS and could ease the workload for local governments.
We commend area lawmakers for their persistence in pursuing this legislation during multiple sessions.
And, this year, we are pleased to extend our appreciation to lawmakers and the governor for enacting this win-win legislation.