Governor Bill Richardson Signs Bill to End Double Dipping (Plus Status Update On Bills)

Click for a status update (pdf) of the 20 bills signed by Governor Richardson thru March 2, 2010, as well as a list of those still pending.

Governor Bill Richardson today issued a statement announcing that he has signed a bill to end the practice of double dipping in New Mexico. The new law prohibits public employees who retire and return to public employment from collecting their pension in addition to their paycheck.

SB 207, the Public Employees Returning to Work bill, sponsored by Senator David Ulibarri (D-Grants) will save the state millions of dollars over the years and is expected to save more than $2.2 million dollars in FY11 alone.

“By getting rid of double dipping in New Mexico, we will save the state millions of dollars,” Governor Richardson said. “I also believe it’s an important move to address concerns of fairness and employee morale.”

Governor Richardson formed a task force last year to thoroughly review the state’s return to work rules and to analyze their costs, effectiveness and fairness. The recommendations of that task force laid the groundwork for SB 207.

Effective July 1, 2010 the new law makes the following changes to the state’s return to work rules:

• Retirees who return to work cannot collect their PERA pension.
• Retirees must wait out 12 months before returning to public employment, including as an independent contractor.
• Current return to work employees shall pay the PERA employee contribution.