129th MAINE LEGISLATURE
LD 1537 LR 1295(01)
An Act To Increase the Portion of Retirement Benefits to Which the Cost-of-living Adjustment Applies
Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement for Original Bill
Sponsor: Rep. Martin of Eagle Lake
Committee: Labor and Housing
Fiscal Note Required: Yes
             
Preliminary Fiscal Impact Statement
FY 2019-20 FY 2020-21 Projections  FY 2021-22 Projections  FY 2022-23
Net Cost (Savings)
General Fund $249,282,236 $0 $1,457,899 $1,457,899
Highway Fund $23,388,879 $0 $348,829 $348,829
Appropriations/Allocations
General Fund $249,282,236 $0 $1,457,899 $1,457,899
Highway Fund $23,388,879 $0 $348,829 $348,829
Federal Expenditures Fund $20,498,456 $0 $313,167 $313,167
Other Special Revenue Funds $32,998,895 $0 $520,451 $520,451
Federal Block Grant Fund $1,006,940 $0 $24,333 $24,333
Fiscal Detail and Notes
Increasing the portion of retirement benefits on which the cost-of-living adjustment is applied to will increase the unfunded actuarial liability (UAL) of the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS) by approximately $350 million.  Pursuant to the Constitution of Maine, Article IX, Section 18-A, unfunded liabilities may not be created except those that result from experience losses.  The Retirement Allowance Fund program within MainePERS will require one-time General Fund appropriations of $249.3 million in fiscal year 2019-20 for its estimated share of the increase in the UAL.  The required allocation for the Highway Fund's share of the cost is estimated to be $23.4 million.  Federal Expenditures Fund, Other Special Revenue Funds and Federal Block Grant Fund allocations will total $54.5 million.  Various other funds totaling $22.8 million but not shown above will require allocation by financial order.
This provision will also increase the normal cost component of the employer retirement rate by approximately $3.0 million annually beginning in fiscal year 2021-22.  The annual impact to the General Fund and Highway Fund is estimated to be $1.46 million and $349,000, respectively.  The increase in costs to the Federal Expenditures Fund, Other Special Revenue Funds and the Federal Block Grant Fund total $858,000.  Various other funds totaling $335,000 but not shown above will require allocation by financial order.