House passes Abell bill protecting port workers

OLYMPIA — The Washington State House of Representatives has passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Hunter Abell, R-Inchelium, to protect port district employees from being forced to pay into multiple retirement systems for the same job.

House Bill 2179 addresses a conflict in state law that, under a recent interpretation, could require certain port employees already enrolled in federally regulated or union-sponsored pension systems to also participate in the Washington Public Employees’ Retirement System. The bill creates a clear exemption for workers covered by a Federal Railroad Retirement Plan or a union-sponsored defined benefit plan and applies that exemption both moving forward and retroactively to periods when those employer contributions were made.