PPOA

Legislation

LINK: Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) National Legislation

The scene that plays out daily inside the walls of the California State Capitol is chaotic, to say the least. On a bad day, the oft-maligned legislative process is a merciless lesson in futility. But on a good day, getting behind the wheel of this well-oiled political machine is both thrilling and well worth the effort. And much like PPOA's 25-year record of legislative success, 2010 has once again proved that this Association's political perseverance pays off.

None of our legislative efforts would be possible without Jim Vogts, PPOA's legislative director. Many of you know that Jim is also a former PPOA president and served on the board of directors for the better part of two decades. His work as our full-time lobbyist is invaluable. On that note, PPOA is proud to report that three of the bills we supported and/or sponsored this year have been signed into law by the Governor.

Victory Times Three! Governor Signs Trio of PPOA-Supported Bills Into Law
Governor Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 1902 (Portantino) into law on July 15, 2010. One of the provisions in this PPOA-supported bill allows a general member to waive the three-year waiting period for transferring between retirement plans when a worker transfers from Plan E to Plan D, becomes injured, and is not eligible to apply for service connected disability benefits. This allows the disabled member to return to Plan E and apply for the employer's long-term disability benefits, including return-to-work programs.

Assembly Bill 1739 (Lieu) was signed by the Governor on July 15, 2010. This PPOA-supported bill allows specified death and disability benefits to be provided to an employee who is injured or killed during active military duty while on leave from Los Angeles County.

AB 1658 (Lieu) was signed into law by the Governor on July 19, 2010. This bill was written and sponsored by PPOA and grants former OPS Police Officers (who become Deputies after the merger) the ability to buy back some, or all, of their Safety retirement from LACERA so that their entire retirement can be Safety retirement.

As always, PPOA is extremely grateful to our lobbyist Jim Vogts for his efforts to guide these important pieces of legislation through the legislative process and ultimately to the Governor’s desk.