Contact Your Senators: Support the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the stimulus package, is now in the U.S. Senate, where senators may vote on it at any time. Arkansas would receive $1.25 billion for education-related programs along if this act passes.

Please contact Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor IMMEDIATELY. Ask them to support the stimulus package and oppose efforts to reduce proposed education funding.

Contact Sen. Blanche Lincoln on her Web site at www.lincoln.senate.gov , or call her at (202) 224-4843. Contact Sen. Mark Pryor on his Web site at www.pryor.senate.gov , or call him at (202) 224-2353.

House Passes Tobacco Tax Plan
HB 1204, Governor Beebe’s tobacco tax plan, passed in the House yesterday with a vote of 75 to 24, and one member not voting. Members of the House of Representatives voted as follows:

HB1204
Tobacco Tax	Yeas (75 Votes)	Nays (24 Votes)	Non-Voting (1 vote)
	Bill Abernathy, D Fred Allen, D Tommy Baker, D Monty Betts, D Nancy Blount, D Toni Bradford, D Steven Breedlove, D Jerry Brown, D Mike Burris, D Richard Carroll, G Joan Cash. D Eddie Cheatham, D Steve Cole, D David Cook, D Eddie Cooper, D Larry Cowling, D Dawn Creekmore, D Robert Dale, R Monty Davenport, D Otis Davis, D Jody Dickinson, D David Dunn, D John Edwards, D Curren Everett, D Billy Gaskill, D Nathan George, D Rick Green, R Clark Hall, D Willie Hardy, D Steve Harrelson, D Eddie Hawkins, D Jim House, D John Hoyt, D Barry Hyde, D Keith Ingram, D H. Ray Kidd, D Wilhelmina Lewellen, D Uvalde Lindsey, D Larry Lovell, D John Lowery, D Bruce Maloch, D Allen Maxwell, D Walls McCrary, D James McLean, D Robert Moore, D Jim Nickels, D Barbara Nix, D George Overbey, D Michael Patterson, D Tracy Pennartz, D Mark Perry, D Bobby Pierce, D David Powers, D Beverly Pyle, R Roy Ragland, R David Rainey, D R. Gregg Reep, D Lance Reynolds, D Johnnie Roebuck, D Tiffany Rogers, D William Sample, R Rick Saunders, D Gene Shelby, D Garry Smith, D Lindsley Smith, D Randy Stewart, D Troy Summers, R Linda Tyler, D Charolette Wagner, D Kathy Webb, D John Wells, D Butch Wilkins, D Darrin Williams, D Robbie Wills, D James Word, D	Pamela Adcock, D Duncan Baird, R Jonathan Barnett, R John Burris, R Leslie Carnine, R Davy Carter, R Ann Clemmer, R Jonathan Dismang, R Elizabeth English, R Stephanie Flowers, D Ed Garner, R Frank Glidewell, R Dan Greenberg, R Debra Hobbs, R Karen Hopper, R Donna Hutchinson, R Allen Kerr, R Bryan King, R Andrea Lea, R Stephanie Malone, R Mark Martin, R Terry Rice, R Mary Lou Slinkard, R Jon Woods, R	J.R. Rogers, D

The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Revenue and Taxation. Committee members are Senators Paul Miller, chair; Bobby Glover, vice chair; Sharon Trusty; Terry Smith; John Paul Capps; Larry Teague; Steve Faris and Denny Altes.

Confusion Over SB165? Here is what it proposes to do.
SB 165, sponsored by Sen. Gene Jeffress, is a teacher retirement bill proposed by the Teacher Retirement System.  It revises the return to work provisions in the teacher retirement laws. This bill eliminates the ATRS earnings limitation for all retirees. This means that if an ATRS retiree returns to work for a covered employer after termination requirements are met, there is no reduction on the ATRS retirement annuity due to an earnings limitation. Termination requirements would be changed to a 180-day wait period before returning to work for an ATRS covered employer.

This does not mean the retiree does not get a retirement benefit for 180 days; it means the retiree is not considered retired if he/she returns to work in a position covered by ATRS within 180 days from the effective date of retirement. If that should happen, the retirement benefits would stop, and the member would be required to pay back benefits he/she had received.

The legislation also requires employer contributions to be paid on all ATRS retirees who return to work for covered employers, at the current employer contribution rate in effect at the time of employment. This bill would also require the employer matching rate for all T-DROP participants to be the current employer rate in effect for all other members.

AEA is reviewing the bill, and our recommendation will be contained in the next Legislative Alert

Legislative Alerts are posted on our website. http://aeaonline.org/political_action/alert.asp