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Public Safety Officer Cooperation Act HR980
I hope everyone will try to send letters or call their United States Senators and let them know to vote yes for HR980. This bill is important for all professional fire fighters.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Yank2441 on
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This law is not over yet, although it will probably be the next session before it is considered again. Please keep looking at this and keeping track of it.
It is known as the Senate bill S2123 now as it has already passed the US House of Reps.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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I am not either for it or against it, but I do want to examine all the wherefores, and whatnots, before I decide. My initial reaction is ... sounds great! But I wonder where this $30million a year in funding is going to come from. Are we going to have to pay more in taxes? Or what other program budgets are going to be cut in the name of funding (AFG, FP&S)? Or as the Feds have been known for, is the wording of this law (if it passes) going to be interpreted differently from the original intent, depending on who is in office. My mother always told me "be careful what you wish for... you might just get it". So I am going to study it and watch the bill as it makes the rounds on Capital Hill to make sure it is not totally changed as it transitions from one house to the other.
Just my thoughts.
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This will be more of a local funding problem. The federal government will not be involved in the funding for this bill. All it does is requires municipalities to sit down and barter with the public safety unions.
Here in South Carolina, we do not have any muscle as a union because we are a right to work state and of course going on strike as a public safety officer is out of the question. This law would make our city look at our pay and benefits in comparison with other cities our size. It is not right for the cities in South Carolina to get away with the junk they get away with.
My insurance for full family coverage at the City of Gaffney was $300 a pay check. My insurance for full family coverage at the City of Spartanburg is still high at $160 a pay check. At both we were paid bi-weekly.
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This law will be going before the Senate in 2009 and needs to be pushed through. I know our economy is weak right now but our leaders in our locals should take that into consideration before they start any bartering process.
I am 150% for this bill and will not rest until it is passed.
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Local, State, or Federal, somebody has to pay for it. Locals are already cutting services, closing stations, etc. If they don't have the money, they will look to the State. Here in Texas, (which is a right to work state), the State says "we don't have the funding, we can not even afford to keep up the road projects, so they are going to be private toll roads". This then puts the burden on the Feds. Somewhere down the line WE are going to be paying for it.
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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Yank 2441,
You currently pay $160 per paycheck at Spartanburg which is bi-weekly correct? So thats $80 per actual week for your family plan. That is just slightly higher than my weekly employee contribution her in NH. Now I always tell the guys who complain about that number to look at what the city has to pay for my plan...
They pay just under $20,000 for my family plan per year. So I am not complaining about my employee contributuion costs.
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