President

Rob Manis, CSN

Fellow NFA members,

As all of you know, higher education has been under assault for years by those who wish to outsource, privatize and corporatize our jobs. At the same time our wages have been stagnant and our benefits getting worse and worse. We need to reverse those trends, difficult as it may be.

I have been an NFA member since I was hired at CSN in 1998, and have been CSN Membership Chair and Chapter President. In the last four years, I have helped turn around the chapter and together we recruited over 100 new members culminating in winning collective bargaining rights in 2016.

I have also been active in the state NFA board for nearly four years, serving as state Vice President and Legal Coordinator for the last two.

I have a Ph.D in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara, and prior to coming to Nevada taught Organizational Development for 6 years as an adjunct at the McLaren Business School at University of San Francisco. I believe my academic background and experience will also come in handy in continuing to move the state organization forward.

I am progressive in my politics and will fight hard to preserve the rights of faculty in higher education against those who would abridge or corporatize them. But I am also experienced in working with people of all political agendas and believe in a “big tent” where we all can work together to advance the interests of all students, faculty members and their families in Nevada.

I will fight hard to increase the clout of NFA, to improve lobbying and support membership growth and collective bargaining in any chapter that is interested.

Vice President

Jeff Downs, WNC

Hello, my name is Jeff Downs and I am a tenured Mathematics faculty member at Western Nevada College. I have been a member of the Nevada Faculty Alliance since 2004, when I was hired at WNC, and a chapter president for three years.

In 2012, when serving WNC as the Faculty Senate Chair, I was part of the team that worked with the Regents and the Chancellor to allow a vote at WNC to bring Collective Bargaining to our college. I am currently second chair on the Collective Bargaining renegotiating team. I believe in the principals of Collective Bargaining and believe Faculty Rights need to be protected and expanded, regardless of Collective Bargaining status.

I would appreciate the honor of serving as a State Vice President to help grow the NFA, represent the State Board in the North, and support the next State President. I hope you will consider voting for me.

Shari Lyman, CSN

I am honored to be nominated for Nevada Faculty Alliance State Vice President.

I have been a member of the CSN NFA Chapter since 1990 both as a part-time Economics and Mathematics instructor and now as a full-time tenured professor of Economics, Women’s Studies, and Latin American Studies.

I teach onground, online, and hybrid classes in the 16-week, 8-week, and 4-week formats.

I served as the CSN NFA Chapter President from 2008 to 2010.

I served as NFA State Treasurer from 2011-2015

I continue to be an active member of CSN NFA and AAUP.

Also, I serve on the CSN Women’s Alliance, the Social Sciences Pedagogy Committee, and various other college committees, department committees, and community organizations such as 4-H, Boy Scouts of America, Moapa Valley Community Education Advisory Board, and the Clark County School District Attendance Zone Advisory Commission.

I value my membership and leadership experiences with NFA due to the work and support NFA provides for its members and all faculty members in Nevada’s System of Higher Education.

As Vice President I will serve the NFA members throughout NSHE as an advocate for academic freedom, shared governance, and legal defense. I will advocate on behalf of positive work and learning environments that include access, inclusion, and diversity for all faculty, staff, and students.

I will continue to work actively with the institutions, administrations, NSHE, and the State of Nevada legislators to support, fund, and promote higher education for all of Nevada.

I am committed to the fundamental mission of NFA to ensure academic freedom, shared governance, and economic security for all of Nevada’s higher education faculty and staff for the benefit of our students.

Treasurer

Jennifer Nelson, CSN

Despite having no opponent in this race for State NFA Treasurer, I write this candidate statement to affirm that I do not take your vote for granted. Instead, I take this opportunity to brief you on some of my accomplishments from my current term in this office. From retiring an AAUP back dues debt one year early and controlling operational expenses to preparing and presenting accurate, clear semi-annual financial reports and realistic budgets to support State Board planning and decision-making, I have maintained our organization’s sound financial condition. To update State NFA’s adherence to fiscal best practices for non-profits, I have written and received State Board approval for financial operating policy that delineates procedures for planning, approving, reimbursing, and annual budgeting of NFA chapters’ events and activities. As your steward of the dues you pay to NFA and AAUP, I pledge to continue putting forward my best effort to manage State NFA’s finances effectively. I hope I have earned your vote.

Thank you,

Jennifer S. Nelson, Ph.D.

Secretary

Andrea Brown, CSN

I would like to respectfully express my hope to continue to serve as NFA Secretary for the 2017-2019 term.

I have been an AAUP member for 10 years and joined Nevada Faculty Alliance in 2013 shortly after joining the Department of Human Behavior at the College of Southern Nevada. As a full time faculty member, I have been a member of a variety of department and college-wide committees including, hiring and convocation. Furthermore, I have provided a number of professional development workshops and conference presentations related to instruction, student success, diversity and inclusion.

I was elected NFA-CSN Secretary in 2014 and re-elected in 2016. Over the past three years, I have developed strong working relationships with chapter leadership. As a NFA-CSN member, I have been a member of the political action committee and met with legislators to advocate for faculty and ascertain their support for legislative efforts that benefit higher education in Nevada. Additionally, I have been a member of the NFA-CSN Organizing Committee for collective bargaining where I gained invaluable insight into organizing, and along with other dedicated faculty--contributed to our collective bargaining victory.

My service to NFA has been rewarding and has provided me with invaluable learning and training experiences. I am hard-working, dedicated and committed to our cause. If re-elected, I will continue to push our organization forward. Thank you for your consideration.

The deadline for passage of bills in the first house is Tuesday April 25. For complete information on bills we are tracking, please see our updated bill watch list. Contact your Senator or Assemblymember now to try to influence the marathon voting on Monday and Tuesday. Telephone calls are best, or e-mails from your personal address. Also register your opinion online on the latest versions of bills (include your address to allow tracking by district).

Our primary issue of faculty compensation including merit steps will come to the fore with the Economic Forum revenue projections on May 1 and budget hearings shortly thereafter. Bills of particular interest with 4/25 deadlines are listed below.

SB502 As amended with help of NFA and its public employee coalition partners, adds second NSHE representative to PEBP Board and removed bad 'advisory' board provisions. Clarifies RFP procedures for PEBP and Nevada Deferred Compensation Program. NFA in support of amended bill.

SB391 Nevada Promise Scholarship for community college students. Supplements other financial aid programs.

AJR5 Constitutional amendment would remove Board of Regents, its authority, duties and election requirement from Nevada Constitution, making NSHE just another state agency subject to legislative and executive branch oversight. NFA opposed.

AB407 Splits Cooperative Extension north/south, transferring three counties form UNR to UNLV. Designates UNLV and DRI in addition to UNR as Land Grant institutions. NFA has serious concerns about faculty employment rights with expected terminations of southern UNCE employees and about lack of shard governance consultation in institutional reorganization. Advocated by Lincy Institute. Opposed by UNR and UNCE.

AB390 Whistleblower protections for state employees who report that state officials lied to legislators, former legislators, and their employees and former employees. Spending and Governmental Efficiency (SAGE) commission for NSHE. Amended to remove $20000/yr stipend for Regents.

AB16 Requires NSHE or UNR to provide higher funding for matching county funds for Cooperative Extension. No funding in current bill. NSHE fiscal note is $10M unfunded mandate for UNR (and UNLV if AB407 becomes law).

AB188 Would expand Silver State Opportunity Grants for community college students, eligibility reduced to 12 credits (as amended, from 15 currently). NFA supports.

Best regards,

Dr. Kent M. Ervin

Legislative Liaison, Nevada Faculty Alliance

kent.ervin@nevadafacultyalliance.org

77

4/23/2017

The UNLV and UNR NFA Chapters held Forums April 18th and 19th entitled "Is faculty merit pay gone for good? Should we consider collective bargaining?" The Forums were well-attended with good discussion.

Dr. Kent Ervin, NFA Legislative Liaison gave an update on the legislative session. He explained NFA's advocacy for merit pay and how this is an uphill struggle. NFA Executive Director David Steel and AAUP Western Regional Coordinator Jason Elias spoke about faculty collective bargaining at research universities.

Lively discussion ensued. One thing is certain: Nevada faculty are sick and tired of falling to the bottom of the priority list for funding.

President

Dr. Roberta Kaufman, Associate Professor, School of Education

I am seeking the position of NFA president at Nevada State College for a number of reasons. Higher education in Nevada needs strong faculty voices on campus and across the state who are committed to being present at the table and advocating for members and non-members at Executive Committee meetings, Provost Council, Executive Budget Committee meetings, advisory at Faculty Senate meetings and other such state-wide meetings as appropriate with colleagues considering policies and practices of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) that impact academic or administrative faculty.

As past chair for NSC's Faculty Senate, I am aware of the various concerns faculty face on campus and in the state. In this capacity, I served as a spokesperson on campus seeking to listen first and negotiate effectively in the ongoing attempt to navigate faculty concerns. Additionally, I was able to develop a working relationship with other faculty senate chairs, NFA officers, institutional administrators and faculty. My background, including knowledge of NSC’s policies on workload, promotion and tenure; Board of Regents focus on efficiency and effectiveness; and equity issues across university, state college and community colleges is a conduit to NFA presidential responsibilities.

It is vital to have faculty leadership positions staffed by representatives of the various schools and units on campus in order to get multiple perspectives. This helps to strengthen and ensure the success of the organization. I am an active member of NFA at Nevada State College recruiting members, attending meetings and social events sponsored jointly by NFA and Faculty Senate. As a recently tenured School of Education faculty it is my desire to engage with and encourage new faculty to become involved in all facets of the campus community which includes building capacity through governance.

Thank you for your consideration.

Roberta

Dr. Leila Pazargadi, Assistant Professor of English

Dear NFA members,

Since joining the Nevada Faculty Alliance in 2012, I have enjoyed serving you as an NFA member, Vice President of Membership, and Member-at-Large of the American Association of University Professors. I wholeheartedly believe in the philosophy, strength, and power of academic unions and their advocacy work, which is why I wish to run for NFA President for the upcoming 2017-2019 term. As President, I hope to strengthen the power of our chapter’s advocacy by:

·      further developing policies and protocols for faculty advocacy during grievances and disputes

·      streamlining an efficient response from NFA to assist faculty during grievances and disputes

·      promoting the formation of a Collective Bargaining Chapter, which would allow us to consult CBC lawyers to create and better negotiate our contracts, challenge “at will” termination clauses, and confront salary/equity issues

·      providing workshops and hang-out opportunities to strengthen our camaraderie and advocacy presence

·      increasing chapter lobbying of NSHE, the governor, and state legislators to push for pre-determined objectives, such as better healthcare coverage, retention of COLA, and reinstatement of merit pay, to name a few

I appreciate your consideration.

Thank you,
Leila

VP of Communications

Laura Decker, Lecturer of English Composition

My name is Laura Decker, and I am in my second full-time year of teaching at NSC. Previous to NSC, I taught part-time at CSN and worked full-time as Learning Specialist for the TRIO Student Support Services Grant Team there, where I worked to support first-generation college students. As evidence of my dedication to a population, I have also taught for two years for NSC's Nepantla program, which is also geared toward first-generation students. In total, I have 6 years of full-time experience as a college faculty member between Texas and Nevada, across two-year and four-year institutions. I am interested in serving as the NSC-NFA VP of Communications for a few reasons. First, I have been an active union member in the past, helping with basic organization for the Culinary 226 union. I really enjoyed learning about the issues that culinary members face in their positions within the hospitality sector as well as assisting in their efforts for fair pay, equitable working conditions, and a viable presence in the negotiating process. Second, as a faculty member myself, I care about working for positive faculty relations and understand that faculty can be most effective when their voices are acknowledged. Finally, one of my strongest skills is writing and specifically disseminating information to large groups, which makes me a strong candidate for your next NSC-NFA VP of Communications

VP of Membership

Vikash Patel, Lecturer of Biological Sciences

I accept the nomination of Vice President of Membership for NSC NFA chapter. It is an honor to be part of this alliance and to actively take on a significant role that can assist in building a strong alliance in both quantity and quality. I believe that this platform can nurture a sustainable level of employee/employer relationship with accountability. I would make a strong candidate for this position because I truly care about our work environment. When we harness a great working community, we can synergistically create qualitative efficiencies, productivity, and well-being that benefits both the individual and institution. Working at Nevada State College since January 2012, I have continuously built rapport with staff, faculty, and administrative leaders. From the facilities personnel to the Dean, I consider all employees as team members. My goal is to continue to build more and better relationships with all team members, serve our alliance to increase membership, and to increase involvement of current members.

Hire more Counselors? Better pay for faculty? CSN students say: yes!

NFA-CSN activists and bargaining team members spent several days tabling, discussing the collective bargaining negotiations and asking students to sign a support petition.

The students shared all kinds of feedback about their experiences at CSN with the NFA-CSN tablers. Tablers described some of the working conditions at CSN, and how the bargaining could improve those conditions.

There was tremendous support for NFA-CSN bargaining from students: they signed the petition at a rate of more than one a minute, resulting in over one thousand signatures so far.

Board of Regents, 3/2/2017

Good morning, Chair Trachok and Regents.  For the record my name is Kent Ervin and I am representing the Nevada Faculty Alliance. 

We would like to thank Chancellor White and NSHE for giving NFA the opportunity to present our views on faculty compensation at Tuesday’s budget hearing.  The Board has repeatedly stated that your highest budget priority is having NSHE faculty compensation treated the same as other state employees.  We are very appreciative of the 2% COLAs in the Governor’s budget, which allows salaries to keep pace with inflation. Unfortunately, the COLAs have been misstated at the legislature as a substitute for merit pay, which was funded for classified staff but not faculty. COLAs are not a substitute for merit. Our performance-based merit award system rewards and promotes academic excellence. Merit is essential for recruiting and retaining high quality faculty, and for preventing salary inversion due to new hires coming in at higher competitive market salaries than continuing faculty who have performed excellently.  NFA asks for your strong support at the legislature for restoration of merit pay, even if that means a compromise from NSHE’s request of 100% from the general fund. 

I would also like to call the Board’s attention to “understatements” in the NSHE base budgets in the executive budget.  While the Governor’s budget for NSHE is indeed positive over all, the touted full funding of caseload growth and CTE and capacity enhancements is simply not true because of arbitrary reductions of the base by up to $35M. Rather, a portion of those enhancements and formula funding are either carveouts from existing program budgets or else using student funding.  That subverts the intent of the new WSCH formula and the spirit of the agreement that student fee growth would not be offset by general fund reductions.  At best, it is a non-transparent method for redirection of program funding in the executive budget.

Please provide appropriate direction to the Chancellor when you discuss legislative actions and the budget.  We ask for your proactive support for restoring a sustainable merit pay system along with COLAs. Thank you.

At its January 2017 meeting, the NFA State Board passed the following values statement:

The Nevada Faculty Alliance urges members to "act to maintain safe and respectful work and learning environments" and to be aware of laws "that pertain to harassment and assault based upon sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability, national origin, military status or obligation, religion, or marital or family status."

As members, we will therefore continue to bear these legal protections in mind and support them. We will also bear in mind that, in our increasingly diverse society, some of our colleagues and our students may be subject to incidents of hostility or violence. We will therefore seek ways to support and ensure the safety of all our colleagues and our students in our educational and workplace settings.

NFA political update, by Kent Ervin, NFA Legislative Liaison

Governor’s Sandoval’s executive budget has good news for NSHE, but less good news for faculty compensation and benefits. Thanks to the improved economy and revenue estimates, the 5% cuts requested last spring were cancelled and NSHE is slated for additional funds. Enrollment caseload growth will be funded through the Weighted Student Credit Hour (WSCH) formula; the next phase of the UNLV Medical School will be funded with a $13M increase; rural community colleges will lose the one-time bridge funding from the last biennium but the community colleges will gain with a higher WSCH formula for Career and Technical Education; $10M is provided for new programs related to economic development goals; the Engineering Building at UNR receives a $41.5M state match through a lease-purchase arrangement; and the Hotel College building at UNLV will be finished and furnished. For further details see “NSHE praises Gov. Sandoval's Executive Budget recommendation” and NSHE’s presentation to the legislature.

Faculty compensation

The Governor’s State of the State address also emphasized compensation for state employees: “From 2010 through 2015, state employees endured furloughs, pay cuts, benefit reductions and loss of merit and longevity pay. For some, these reductions have been the equivalent of a 30 percent loss of wages and benefits. Tonight, I want to recognize the enormous contributions our state employees have made to help get the state back on track and acknowledge the dedicated work they have performed for the people of Nevada during this demanding economic period. Last session we were able to eliminate furloughs, restore merit pay, and provide a modest cost of living adjustment. This session, my budget includes a four percent cost of living adjustment and increased funding for health benefits to recognize the shared sacrifice and dedication of our state employees.”

The NSHE Chancellor and Board of Regents have stated: “In order to recruit and retain the highest quality faculty and staff necessary to fulfill our mission and best serve the State of Nevada, all full‐time employees of the Nevada System of Higher Education should be treated in the same fashion as all other state and major employee groups with respect to cost of living and merit increases appropriated by the state. Improving faculty and staff compensation is the Board of Regents’ highest priority.”

In the Governor’s proposed budget, there is a 2% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in both years of the biennium for both classified staff and faculty. Classified employees will be eligible for annual merit step increases (3.5%–4.8%) if they have not reached the maximum of their range (after 9 steps). COLAs will keep faculty salaries from further losses in purchasing power (about 10% on average between 2009 and 2017, see attached charts). However, the Board of Regent’s request for a 2.5% merit pool for performance-based raises for faculty was not funded. Thus, despite the strong support for NSHE programs in the Governor’s budget and his mention of restoring merit pay, as well as it being NSHE’s “highest priority”, NSHE faculty members were again singled out as the only rank-and-file state employees not receiving funding for merit pay. From the mid-1980s through 2015, faculty merit was always funded whenever classified steps were funded by the legislative. It is particularly disappointing that NSHE officials are “delighted” with the executive budget even though it does not treat faculty compensation the same as other state employees, their stated highest priority.

Healthcare benefits

The executive budget’s “increased funding for health benefits” covers expected inflation only for PEBP’s “base” plan—the horribly reduced benefits level back in 2011. Per PEBP staff that is insufficient to maintain current 2016-2017 plan benefits. The changes in benefits approved by the PEBP Board as of 1/19/2017, mostly one-time funding from “excess reserves”, are shown in the table below.

In addition, the employee premiums for the PEBP HMO plans will increase by 7-9% for the preferred plans with HHP (north) and HPN (south), which have broader provide networks and do not require referrals to see a specialist. As a new option, PEBP will offer cheaper alternative HMO plans, with increased premiums of 1-2%. The alternative HMO plans have narrower provider networks and are not available in many of the rural counties.

At this juncture, NFA will need to pursue restoration of performance-based merit pay and retention of health benefits through the legislature and the Board of Regents. You may contact Governor Sandoval to ask about his budget priorities at http://gov.nv.gov/Contact/Email-the-Governor/, or find your legislator at http://mapserve1.leg.state.nv.us/whoRU/ and Regents contacts at http://system.nevada.edu/Nshe/index.cfm/administration/board-of-regents/current-regents1/.

Benefit (high-deductible PPO plan only)	Current 2016-2017 plan year	Approved by PEBP Board for 2017-2018 only (as of 1/19/2017)	After July 1, 2018, unless changed by PEBP (“base plan”)
Deductible	$1500 single/ $3000 family	$1600 single / $3200 family	$1900 single / $3800 family
Co-insurance	Participants pays 20% after satisfying deductible	Participant pays 20% after satisfying deductible	Participant pays 25% after satisfying deductible
Dental	$1500/yr maximum	$1500/yr maximum	$1000/yr maximum
Annual vision exam	Up to $120, no co-pay	Up to $120, $25 co-pay	none
Life insurance	$25K active / $10K retiree	$20K active / $10K retiree	$10K active / $5K retiree
HSA/HRA employer contributions	$1100 +  $300 per dependent (up to 3)	$700 + $200 per dependent (up to 3) + $200 incentive after annual physical exam, blood lab tests, dental exam, and dental cleaning	$700 + $200 per dependent (up to 3)
HRA cap (does not apply to HSA)	None	HRA balances above $5000 to be taken back by PEBP	uncertain
Preventive drugs	Participant pays 100% up to  deductible	20% co-insurance for select preventive drugs via mailorder or from preferred pharmacy network, 100% for other drugs	uncertain

Note: Dr. Ervin’s legislative updates represent his own interpretations. Official positions by the NFA state board will be identified as such. Individual questions about compensation or benefits should be addressed to your institutional HR/benefits office or to PEBP. To receive regular updates, join the Nevada Faculty Alliance www.nevadafacultyalliance.org.

You can see charts depicting NSHE salary trends prepared by Dr. Ervin here: NSHE_salary_trend_charts_20170105b.png

The following statement was delivered to the PEBP Board at the 11/17 meeting, by Kent Ervin, on behalf of NFA:

Good morning. My name is Kent Ervin E R V I N. I am an active participant and today I am speaking on behalf of the Nevada Faculty Alliance, which represents NSHE faculty statewide. My comments are for the record.

We are concerned that the plan changed proposed in Agenda item 9 represent a significant reduction of benefits and net compensation.  While we appreciate that so-called “excess reserves” are being used to maintain some of the so-called “enhancements”, the net effect is a reduction of benefits.  Excess reserves are simply savings by PEBP due to overaggressive past cuts in benefits and poor cost projections, and enhancements are simply partial restoration of those benefits.  The 2015-2017 plan design, including those enhancements, should serve as the base model moving forward.  Changing plan design year-to-year is confusing for participants and likely contributes to the extremely bad streak of actuarial cost predictions over the past 5 years.

Regarding the specific proposed cuts, the worst for participants is the increase in deductibles from 1500/3000 to 1600/3200 or higher, well above the HSA minimums for HDHP plans, and the possible decrease of the 80/20 coinsurance rate.  These regressive cuts hit hardest those participants who have the highest health needs and the lowest incomes.  The HDHP out-of-pocket maximums are unaffordable for our starting classified employees.  

Decreasing HSA/HRA contributions has the same net effect as increasing the deductibles, and is also highly regressive. The reduction or elimination of HSA/HRA contributions for dependents is unfair because the rates and employee premiums are set based on the four tier groups, not the number of dependents. Effectively, you are decreasing the net deductible as the number of dependents increase. The HSA contributions should be a constant percentage of the deductible for all tier groups.  

The two options for supplemental HSA contributions each have problems. Treating HSA matches differently from HRAs in unfair to those ineligible for HSA.  Tying HSA contributions to a revived wellness program flies in the face of firm legislative guidance not to fund a wellness program and risks legislative pushback on the PEBP program.

The idea of taking back HRA balances over $5K is penalizing those who have carefully saved up most for future needs, which the proposal encourages for HSA participants. Furthermore, it will fail to realize savings because those participants will spend down their balances as soon as this scheme becomes known.

Decreasing life insurance to $5K for retirees and $10K would be restoring cuts from previous levels prior to the great recession, $10K/25K.  $5K isn’t even enough for a basic funeral. 

We are also highly concerned about the changes to retiree subsidies. Would retirees lose their Part B reimbursement?

Finally, the current proposals do not reflect the potential impacts of a flat state subsidy or a 5% reduction along with the medical cost trends.  You as board members should insist on a report on the full cost of maintain the current plan design including so-called enhancements.  Then we can start from there to address budget realities. The participants and legislators deserve to see the actual state of affairs, rather than have those hidden until it is too late in the process to make informed decisions.

Thank you. I look forward to working with all of you on behalf of the Nevada Faculty Alliance and NSHE participants.

Dear colleagues:

I would like to introduce myself, Kent Ervin, as the legislative liaison for the Nevada Faculty Alliance for the 2017 session of the Nevada legislature. I am a Professor in the Chemistry Department at UNR, starting here in 1990. For NFA, I will be following legislative issues and representing all faculty state-wide to the best of my ability. Here is a post-election update.

The Nevada Legislature experienced a blue wave in the election, changing the party leadership of both houses:

    Nevada Senate 11-10 Democratic

    Nevada Assembly 27-15 Democratic

The Democratic majorities mean equal pay and Lily Ledbetter bills and a strengthening of legal redress for employment and civil rights protections--bills that were quashed in the Assembly in 2015 after support for weakened versions in the Senate--will have a good chance of passing. A campus carry bill, which was opposed by NFA last session, is much less likely to be viable.

Regardless of party affiliations, however, support of higher education is not at the top of priority list for a majority of legislators, and there are old and new legislators who have an incomplete (to be kind) understanding of what university and college faculty do. Changing that is our major challenge.

What we hear about the Governor's budget, to be presented in January, is not encouraging. Estimates of projected budget deficit range from $400M to $800M, after accommodating case-load growth in Medicaid, K-12 education, and higher education. It is rumored that the Governor's budget is unlikely to include either COLA or merit/steps for state employees, in which case those would have to be added and funded later. Any tax increases would require a two-thirds majority, and it would be a huge surprise if the Governor proposes any. This means a difficult session for the budget.

We will carefully monitor Bill Draft Requests about reforming or restructuring NSHE.

At it's meeting on 11/17/2016, the PEBP Board will be considering benefits changes and cuts to meet the Governors request for flat and 5% lower budgets. This will be a big battle just to maintain what we have now.

The next big event to watch is the Economic Forum revenue projections in early December.

NFA members will receive periodic updates such as this during the legislative session. I appreciate all feedback. NFA will be seeking your input to your local legislators on issues of critical concern--hope you all will help.

Best regards,

Kent Ervin