Lawmakers may also feel sting of health-benefits cut

A few veteran legislators may have to decide between continued service or lifetime health benefits.

In an effort to do unto themselves as they did to others, the House Retirement and Independent Entities Committee approved by a 7-1 vote HB216, which would eliminate health insurance benefits for retired legislators and governors. Ideally, it would also create "equity" between state employees and elected officials, said Rep. David Clark, R-Santa Clara, the bill's sponsor.

Last year, the Legislature passed HB213, which was also sponsored by Clark, as a cost-saving measure. Currently, employees can exchange one day of unused sick leave for a month of state-paid medical insurance when they retire. HB213 changed that by allowing workers to get a dollar-for-dollar exchange for unused sick days and requiring employees to cash out one-quarter of their saved sick leave and put it in their 401(k) retirement savings plan.

The law's Jan. 1 effective date has been postponed by an appeal to the Utah Supreme Court in December by the Utah Public Employees Association, which had sued the state over the cost-cutting change.

"We're asking state employees to tighten their belts," Clark said. "It seems only proper that we ask legislators to tighten their belts, as well."

If a legislator retired this year, he or she would need to be at least 62 years old and have 10 years of service to receive the health benefits the rest of their life. Only a small group of lawmakers, Clark said, would need to decide whether to retire or run again before the change would take effect next year.

Rep. LaWanna Shurtliff, D-Ogden, is among that group. She said passage of the bill would mean that she would have to decide whether to run for another term — all representatives and one-third of the senators are up for re-election this year — or retire and take the health benefit. While she would not even consider retiring simply because of the health benefit, she would prefer to phase it in, just as she would have preferred to phase the change in for state employees.

"I'll vote for this bill because of the respect I have for the employees of this state," Shurtliff said. "But I wish we did these things with a lot more sensitivity."

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