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PP\EW <br /> C Of <br /> 'BRIG <br /> the city that works for you <br /> March 27,2013 <br /> Representative Connie Bernardy <br /> District 41A <br /> 100 Rev.Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.Blvd <br /> 581 State Office Building <br /> St. Paul,MN 55155 <br /> Dear Representative Bernardy: <br /> RE: Senate File 446/House File 573 <br /> I am writing to let you know of our local opposition to the bill requiring school districts to participate in the <br /> Public Employee Insurance Program(PEIP), specifically Senate File 446 and House File 573. <br /> Although the bill does not appear to impact cities directly,the loss of school district employees in the <br /> service cooperatives throughout the state would have a very negative impact on those cooperatives. Some <br /> of them might be completely wiped out by the loss of school district employees. Many cities,such as the <br /> City of New Brighton,depend on these cooperatives to obtain affordable insurance for their employees. <br /> We do not believe that employee benefits for our cities is a one-size-fits-all situation, and we believe that <br /> allowing cities the freedom to find the type of solution that works best for them ultimately serves their <br /> employees and their residents better than state mandates. <br /> In addition,all cities are struggling with planning for changes related to federal health care reform. This <br /> bill will make that planning even more difficult and could result in penalties under certain circumstances. <br /> This is not a good time to make a change this big, and there may be many unforeseen negative <br /> consequences. <br /> The City of New Brighton is opposed to this legislation for these reasons. Please feel free to contact me at <br /> 651-638-2041 if you have any questions. <br /> Sincerely yours, <br /> Dean R. Lotter <br /> City Manager <br /> City of New Brighton <br />