Senate Bill 84, Retirement, has now passed the Senate and will be heard in the Florida House of Representatives. Call your representative and tell them to vote NO on SB 84

Senate Bill 84, Retirement, is another in a long line of attacks on Florida's frontline public sector workers' rights and benefits. For years, the Florida Legislature has wanted to end the defined benefit (pension) plan within the Florida Retirement System. This bill would force all new state employees to be enrolled in 401(K)-style programs, denying them access to the Florida Retirement System (FRS). Preventing new hires from joining the Florida Retirement System is not only an insult to newly hired state workers, but it would also harm the pension system, risking the retirement security of those who have paid into it throughout their careers.

Not only is this bill an insult to the teachers, firefighters, law enforcement professionals, and state workers who have kept our communities running throughout the COVID-19 crisis, it would also needlessly threaten the strength of Florida's economy. Every dollar the Florida Retirement System pays out creates $1.68 in local economic activity, and the FRS adds a total of $18.2 billion in economic output for the state of Florida. Florida's pension plan is one of the strongest in the nation and this bill would artificially weaken it and force Florida's taxpayers to pay more to keep the existing system afloat.

Call your senator and tell them to protect Florida's pension system and to vote NO on SB 84.