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Arizona Corrections Officer Retirement Plan Amendment (2018)
| Arizona Corrections Officer Retirement Plan Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 6, 2018 | |
| Topic Pension | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
The Arizona Corrections Officer Retirement Plan Amendment was not on the ballot in Arizona as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018.[1]
The Arizona State Legislature removed the Corrections Officer Retirement Plan Amendment from the ballot during the 2018 legislative session. Legislators put the Adjustments to Elected Officials’ Retirement Plan and Corrections Officer Retirement Plan Amendment on the ballot in lieu of the Corrections Officer Retirement Plan Amendment.[2]
The amendment would have made certain adjustments to the retirement plans for correctional officers, probation officers, and surveillance officers, as prescribed by Senate Bill 1442.[1]
As of 2018, CORP was a governmental defined-benefit (DB) retirement plan for correctional officers, probation officers, and surveillance officers in Arizona.[3] Senate Bill 1442 was designed to require corrections officers hired on or after July 1, 2018, to enroll in a defined-contribution (DC) retirement plan known as the Public Safety Personnel Defined Contribution Retirement Plan (PSPDCRP). SB 1442 was written to allow probation and surveillance officers hired on or after July 1, 2018, to decide whether to participate in either PSPDCRP or CORP. The bill was also designed to establish a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), rather than a permanent benefit increase, for members hired on or after July 1, 2018.[4]
Text of measure
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article 29, Arizona Constitution
The measure would have amended Section 1 of Article 29 of the Arizona Constitution. The following underlined text would have been added:[1] Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.
A. Public retirement systems shall be funded with contributions and investment earnings using actuarial methods and assumptions that are consistent with generally accepted actuarial standards. B. The assets of public retirement systems, including investment earnings and contributions, are separate and independent trust funds and shall be invested, administered and distributed as determined by law solely in the interests of the members and beneficiaries of the public retirement systems.
C. Membership in a public retirement system is a contractual relationship that is subject to article II, section 25.
D. Public retirement system benefits shall not be diminished or impaired, except that:
- 1. Certain adjustments to the public safety personnel retirement system may be made as provided in Senate Bill 1428, as enacted by the fifty-second legislature, second regular session.
- 2. Certain adjustments to the corrections officer retirement plan may be made as provided in Senate Bill 1442, as enacted by the fifty-third legislature, first regular session.
E. This section preserves the authority vested in the legislature pursuant to this constitution and does not restrict the legislature's ability to modify public retirement system benefits for prospective members of public retirement systems.[5]
Background
Senate Bill 1442
Legislature
Senate Bill 1442 (SB 1442) was introduced into the Arizona State Legislature during the 2017 legislative session. Sen. Debbie Lesko (R-21) was the bill's primary sponsor. On March 6, 2017, the Arizona Senate approved SB 1442 along partisan lines, with the chamber's 17 Republicans in favor and 13 Democrats against.[6]
The Arizona House of Representatives adopted an amendment to SB 1442 on April 6, 2017. The amendment made a number of changes to SB 1442, including the following: (1) requiring employers to post their funded ratios for each plan on their websites; (2) requiring the board of the Corrections Officer Retirement Plan (CORP) to provide each probation and surveillance officer hired on or after July 1, 2018, with objective educational training, counseling, and participant specific information about plans; (3) adding 1/4 to each incremental grade of the CORP credited service multiplier for members who are 55 years of age or older and hired on or after July 1, 2018; (4) setting the unfunded liability amortization periods under PSPRS and CORP to 20 years, rather than 30 years; (5) providing a right to the full plan amount for corrections, probation, or surveillance officers that participated in the PSPRS DC plan and died before completing three years of employment; (6) providing for a child's pension to an eligible child of a deceased member; and (7) specifying that the PSPRS DC disability program does not provide for a disability benefit for an ordinary disability.[7] On April 10, 2017, the House voted to pass the bill, with 53 members in favor, three against, and four not voting.[6] As an amendment was made to the bill, the Senate needed to concur with the changes.
On April 11, 2017, the Senate took up the amended SB 1442. The bill passed 23 to 7. Six Democrats who voted against the original version of the bill voted for the amended version of SB 1442. The six Democrats were Sean Bowie (D-18), David Bradley (D-10), Olivia Cajero Bedford (D-3), Lupe Contreras (D-19), Robert Meza (D-30), and Lisa Otondo (D-4).[6]
Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signed the bill on April 17, 2017.[6]
Referred amendments on the ballot
From 1996 through 2016, the state legislature referred 49 constitutional amendments to the ballot. Voters approved 31 and rejected 18 of the referred amendments. All of the amendments were referred to the ballot for elections during even-numbered election years. The average number of amendments appearing on even-year ballots was between four and five. In 2016, two referred amendments were on the ballot. The approval rate of referred amendments at the ballot box was 63.3 percent during the 20-year period from 1996 through 2016. The rejection rate was 36.7 percent.
| Legislatively-referred constitutional amendments, 1996-2016 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number | Approved | Percent approved | Defeated | Percent defeated | Annual average | Annual median | Annual minimum | Annual maximum | |
| 49 | 31 | 63.27% | 18 | 36.73% | 4.45 | 5.00 | 1 | 8 | |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Arizona Constitution
In Arizona, a constitutional amendment must be passed by a simple majority vote in each house of the Arizona State Legislature during one legislative session.
2017 legislative session
Sen. Debbie Lesko (R-21) introduced the amendment into the legislature as Senate Concurrent Resolution 1023 (SCR 1023) during the 2017 legislative session. The Arizona Senate approved the amendment, 17 to 13, on March 6, 2017. The Arizona House of Representatives passed the amendment, 53 to 1 with six members not voting, on April 26, 2017. The measure was transmitted to the secretary of state's office on April 27, 2017.[8] As SCR 1023 passed both chambers of the legislature, the constitutional amendment was referred to the ballot for voter approval.
The 2017 legislative session ran from January 9, 2017, through May 10, 2017.
Senate voteMarch 6, 2017[8]
|
House voteApril 26, 2017[8]
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2018 legislative session
Rep. David Livingston (R-22) introduced an amendment, titled House Concurrent Resolution 1010 (HCR 2032), during the 2018 legislative session. HCR 2032 withdrew the Arizona Corrections Officer Retirement Plan Measure from appearing on the ballot. The Adjustments to Elected Officials’ Retirement Plan and Corrections Officer Retirement Plan Measure was placed on the ballot in lieu of the former measure. The Corrections Officer Retirement Plan Measure was designed to address the retirement plans of correctional officers, but not elected officials.[2]
State profile
| Demographic data for Arizona | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 6,817,565 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 113,594 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 78.4% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 4.2% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 3% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 4.4% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 30.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 86% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $50,255 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 21.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Arizona. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Arizona
Arizona voted Republican in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Arizona coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Arizona
- United States congressional delegations from Arizona
- Public policy in Arizona
- Endorsers in Arizona
- Arizona fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Recent news
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Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Arizona Legislature, "Senate Concurrent Resolution 1023," accessed March 8, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Arizona State Legislature, "House Concurrent Resolution 2032," accessed March 30, 2018
- ↑ Arizona Legislature, "Fact Sheet for S.C.R. 1023," accessed March 8, 2017
- ↑ Arizona Legislature, "Fact Sheet for S.B. 1442," accessed March 8, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Arizona Legislature, "Bill History for SB1442," accessed April 27, 2017
- ↑ Arizona Legislature, "SB 1442 House Floor Amendment Explained," accessed April 27, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Arizona Legislature, "Bill History for SCR1023," accessed March 8, 2017
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