Retaining engineering titles

Retired engineers will be allowed to use their profession's title under a new law.
To ensure public safety and to minimize confusion, due in part to deceptive advertising, previous licensing laws for people who practice architecture, landscape architecture, professional engineering, professional geoscience, land surveying, and interior design prohibited the use of the titles unless the person was properly licensed and certified.
Previous law specified that individuals who are retired from one of the professions are prohibited from using the title. The new law allows retention of the title, presuming the individual held a valid license at the time of retirement. The retiree's use of the title must be preceded by the word "retired."
House sponsor Rep. Rich Stanek (R-Maple Grove) said that his constituent, who was an engineer for more than 40 years, does a large amount of volunteer work at schools and various other functions and would like to refer to himself as a retired engineer.
The Senate sponsor was Sen. Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove).
HF2629*/ SF2913/ CH239

Pension revisions

A new law will make changes to public pension laws reflecting recommendations made by the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement.
Each year the commission, which consists of five members each from the House and Senate, makes recommendations to the Legislature reflecting its study and investigation of state public pension plans.
Members of a retirement plan administered by PERA who are receiving temporary workers compensation benefits are allowed to receive service credit by making specified payments to the association under the law.
Legislators whose service is not covered by Social Security will be allowed to elect future and retroactive Social Security coverage for service time, under the new law. The provision requires legislators electing the option to make the employer and employee Social Security contributions.
Rep. Harry Mares (R-White Bear Lake) and Sen. Dean Johnson (DFL-Willmar) were the sponsors.
HF3127*/ SF2984/ CH392

LTV pension concerns

A resolution approved by the 2002 Legislature urges a delay in the termination of the LTV Steel Mining Co. Pension Plan until March 2003.
The delay would enable the employees of LTV and the state "to study possible alternatives to a Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation distressed termination."
Besides the pension corporation, the president of the U.S. Senate, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and several federal administrators were to receive a copy of the resolution.
The LTV mining plant in Hoyt Lakes shut down in August 2000, and went bankrupt in February 2001.
In March 2002 the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, the government's pension insurance program, announced that it will guarantee basic pension benefits for participants in the three underfunded LTV plans, affecting 82,000 workers and retirees of the company.
Rep. Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) and Sen. David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm) were the sponsors.
HF3411/ SF3207*/R7

Other Retirement stories

Return to today's Session Daily