There is a least one thing coming up that I think IPEA will be supporting, although I haven't run this through the legislative committee yet, so I am now speaking for myself. I have heard a rumor that a legislator may introduce a bill to require part time legislators to be treated the same as part time classified state employees when it comes to health insurance. Remember when Mr. Gwartney upped the premiums that part timers have to pay for insurance? Well, you should know that state legislators are exempt from that ruling and are considered the same as full time state employees when it comes to health insurance. Here's an article by Dan Popkey in today's Statesman about this issue:
I am meeting with the legislator who may be proposing this legislation next week. If you will remember when this issue came up previously that the universities, at least BSU, was fighting the change in premiums for part timers as well. Since that time a deal was struck and now part time faculty at BSU have also been given the same status as the part time legislators. This leaves only about a hundred BSU classified employees that have been hung out to dry. I think this is unfair. I think the only fair way to deal with this issue is to consider all part time employees to be the same, whether they are classified employees, adjunct faculty, or legislators. Of course, my preference is that they would just eliminate the change Mr. Gwartney put in place last year, but if they are going to increase health insurance premiums for part time employees, they should do it for all of them, or better yet, in my opinion, for none of them. If they pass legislation that requires them all to be treated the same, I think the issue could go away entirely.
