77.8 F
Cruz Bay
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesNews Brief: Hill Asks for Bill No. For GERS Reform Act

News Brief: Hill Asks for Bill No. For GERS Reform Act

May 17, 2005 – Sen. Louis Hill took the final step Tuesday in getting Government Employees Retirement System reform legislation on the Senate floor.
He wrote Senate President Lorraine Berry Tuesday requesting the Retirement System Reform Act of 2005 be assigned a bill number and sent to the committee of jurisdiction for hearings. This is the first piece of legislation to be directed to the retirement system in its 46 years of existence.
Hill said in a release Tuesday, "The final bill was circulated to member of the Legislature and has been submitted with eight senators signing on as co-sponsors. It now awaits the action of the senate president. Sen. Norman Jn. Baptiste, the bill's co-sponsor and I are scheduling a series of public meetings to allow all government employees an opportunity to learn what reforms are needed and how each employee will be affected."
Hill said the meeting dates will be announced, once the bill has been assigned to a committee. Berry has said she would assign the legislation to Committee of the Whole. (See "GERS Reform Bill Ready for Consideration").
The legislation represents an overhaul to the GERS system, Hill said, that responds to the threat of the system's collapse, and mounting unfunded liability. It also establishes a second tier for new employees who are hired after the bill becomes law, and it seeks to better protect the system from further irresponsible political manipulation.
Hill said reforming the system "raises complex issues," but he encourages the community to actively participate in the process.
The other co-sponsors of the bill are minority Sens. Craig Barshinger, Roosevelt David, Pedro Encarnacion, Neville James, Ronald Russell and Juan Figueroa-Serville.

Back Talk

Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.