As you may know, PSU-AAUP is a member of the PERS Coalition, an assembly of most public employees in the State Of Oregon whose members are in PERS.
Last year the legislature passed House Bill 1049, which the PERS Coalition believe have impacts that violate the state’s contract with PERS members regarding their retirement benefits. Information about the bill can be found HERE. The impacts are summarized by PERS HERE.
The PERS Coalition filed its challenge to the bill directly with the Oregon Supreme Court. On Thursday, October 24 the Supreme Court appointed retired Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Marilyn Litzenberger as the Special Master to the case and set a briefing schedule. PERS Coalition attorneys will be working with Judge Litzenberger over the next month to address requests for discovery (documents and PERS Actuary deposition), and aim to develop some stipulated facts for the Supreme Court’s review.
The briefing schedule set by the court is as follows:
Our Opening Brief is due: February 19, 2020
Respondents’ Brief are due: April 8, 2020
Our Reply Brief is due: April 29, 2020
Once the briefs are filed, the Supreme Court will set an Oral Argument schedule. Our attorneys in the case, Bennett, Hartman LLP will post relevant documents on their website as they become available at: https://bennetthartman.com/pers-sb-1049-pleadings/.