ASK YOUR LAWMAKERS TO SUPPORT HB 158
The 2025 regular session of the Alabama Legislature began February 4th, and ARSEA/APEAL has been working hard on behalf of our retiree COLA.
While our staff works at the Alabama State House to convince legislators to embrace a retiree COLA this year, nothing is as effective or influential as contacts from voters back home, which is why your involvement is essential.
We encourage you to ask your lawmakers to support ARSEA/APEAL’s retiree COLA legislation. Your phone calls, emails, letters, and other legislative contacts remain necessary for our efforts to be successful.
Points to make when discussing the Retiree COLA:
- Explain to your legislators that retirees have not received a COLA for nearly two decades and inflation continues to dramatically reduce the value of your retirement dollars.
- Outline any financial struggles or difficult decisions you have faced due to rising prices and stagnant benefits.
- Our legislation does not harm the finances of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, nor does it add one penny to RSA's unfunded liability.
- The legislation allows cities, counties and local public boards participating in RSA the option of awarding retiree COLAs.
- The measure treats COLAs as a pay-as-you-go option in state and local government budgets and can be paused during years in which finances lack adequate funding.
- The legislation will require the annual cost of the COLA to be paid in full each year, making the retiree COLA an annual budget consideration, remaining at the full control of the Alabama Legislature and participating local governments.
- The cost of this COLA decreases every year as retirees pass away. It would be the only budget item that declines each year.
As you receive responses from your legislative contacts, please forward them to our office at retire@arsea.org or 334-834-9116 so we can keep a running tally of which legislators support our bill, which ones oppose it, and which ones need more convincing.
We believe this push for retiree COLA legislation is the most intensive and important lobbying effort in our 45-year history. If we are successful, bonuses will soon be replaced with recurring COLAs, but it can only happen with your full participation.
Learn when to make your contacts during the session
We will share information in our Weekly Update emails and text alerts to inform you on the progress of the COLA initiative, insurance funding, and any other bills that come up of interest to retired state and local government employees.
Call us at 334-834-9116 or send your contact information including your phone number to retire@arsea.org to sign up for Weekly Update emails and receive Alert texts so that you can act the moment your assistance is needed.
OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
Our work in the Legislature compliments The RSA and Dr. Bronner’s goals and desires for your defined benefit retirement plan. Our main purpose is to keep employees and retirees informed regarding your benefits, to let you know when it is the best time to contact your legislators about impending legislation, and when bills are coming up for a vote as well as your local government officials when they need to be contacted regarding benefits.
We want you to know what is best to mention to your elected officials as they are often unaware of or misinformed about the details or impact that legislation may have on your retirement and your life.