Phone: 505-377-8150
LOCAL 244
IAFF Priority Legislation to Become Law, Despite Hurdles
Updated On: Jul 04, 2015

The U.S. Senate voted last week on final passage of IAFF priority legislation, H.R. 2146, the Defending Public Safety Employees Retirement Act. The bill, championed by Representatives Dave Reichert (R-WA) and Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), now heads to the president for his signature.The passage of H.R. 2146 marks a significant victory for the IAFF and its members. The new law improves retirement security for fire fighters in two ways. 

First, it allows federal fire fighters to take early withdrawals before age 59 ½ from their deferred compensation accounts, known as Thrift Savings Plans, without incurring the current 10 percent early withdrawal penalty. Second, the law allows municipal fire fighters to roll over DROP funds into a deferred compensation arrangement, such as a 457 plan or 401(k)-style plan, without penalty. 

“Passing the Defending Public Safety Employees Retirement Act will provide an immediate benefit for tens of thousands of fire fighters,” says General President Harold Schaitberger. “Getting this done eliminates real inequities in the law and provides the needed retirement security for our fire fighters.” Work on this important legislation spanned multiple Congresses and was featured at this year’s IAFF Legislative Conference. The bill was well on its way to passage earlier this year when it was hijacked by Congress in order to pass its unpopular trade bill, a bill vociferously opposed by the IAFF. The IAFF lobbied against combining the issues, but congressional leaders held firm. Schaitberger says, “I strongly opposed the political trickery used by Congress to pass the dangerous Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). This trade deal comes at the expense of hard-working middle class Americans whose jobs and financial security are put at risk.”

President Obama is expected to sign the combined bill into law, at which point the two provisions will be separated. The provision allowing fire fighters to access their retirement savings is effective January 1, 2016, while the battle over trade will return to Congress this fall. The trade language that was added to H.R. 2146 merely sets the rules for Congress to consider a trade agreement. The actual agreement, however, must be put before Congress for a vote. That will give labor a second opportunity to defeat a deal that enriches global corporations and the ultra-rich, while leaving blue collar workers out in the cold.


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Albuquerque Area Fire Fighters
4100 Edith Ave NE
Albuquerque, NM 87107
  505-377-8150

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