Committee hears bill to move DNR wildland firefighters into LEOFF Plan 2

Senate Bill 6073 was presented Jan. 22 to the Senate Ways and Means Committee with staff and agency briefings and brief public testimony. Amanda Cecil, committee staff, said the bill would prospectively move service credit for eligible Department of Natural Resources wildland and aviation firefighters from the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) into the Law Enforcement Officers’ and Fire Fighters’ Retirement System, Plan 2 (LEOFF 2). Cecil said LEOFF 2 has earlier normal retirement ages and larger duty-related death and disability benefits than PERS, and that those differences drive a higher employer cost rate.

Cecil summarized fiscal estimates: a one-time Department of Retirement Systems implementation cost of about $32,000 and an actuarial estimate that shifting existing service would increase LEOFF 2’s supplemental rate by 0.01 percentage point and raise employer costs roughly $300,000 per year. “There’s a fiscal note starting with the Department of Retirement Systems, which shows 1 time cost of $32,000 for implementation,” Cecil said during the staff briefing.

Supporters urged the committee to advance the bill. Seamus Petrie of the Washington Public Employees Association said frontline DNR firefighters “deserve a real retirement,” describing long seasons of physically taxing work. George Geisler, Washington State Forester and DNR deputy supervisor for forest resilience and wildland fire programs, told the committee DNR requested the change and “we are in full support of this legislation.” Geisler confirmed the department has discussed the proposal with the LEOFF 2 board but that additional review by the board remains.

Senators asked whether the LEOFF board had reviewed the request and whether the proposal originated with DNR; Geisler responded the change was made at DNR’s request and that the board has been involved in conversations. Committee staff noted technical clarifications may be needed to tighten definitions of who qualifies as a firefighter under the bill.

The hearing record contains only briefing and public testimony; no committee action or vote was recorded at the Jan. 22 hearing. The committee moved on to other bills at the close of testimony.