A bill would protect state workers from being fired over their sexual orientation.

Sen. Charlie Albertson, a Duplin County Democrat, filed the bill, which would add sexual orientation to the other equal opportunity categories in state government: race, religion, color, creed, national origin, sex, age and disability.

It would also add a nondiscrimination policy for legislative personnel.

Erica Baldwin, a spokeswoman for the State Employees Association of N.C., said that it supports the bill, though it had not sought it.

"Although the nondiscrimination clauses aren't one of our top policy platform objectives, SEANC supports any bill that protects state employees and retains the most quality workers," she said.

Baldwin said, as far as she is aware, SEANC has not received any calls about workers being fired over their sexual orientation. 

Legislators would hike premiums to fix the State Health Plan.

One proposal currently under discussion in the House includes taking $250 million from the rainy-day fund to cover expenses until June 30 and increasing the premium by eight percent on July 1 and again next year.

Democratic Majority Leader Hugh Holliman said that spreads the burden out and still gives the 667,000 state employees, teachers, retirees and their families a better deal than what some private sector employees are facing.

"If I get a health care premium increase of anything less than 15 percent," Holliman said, "that's a good year."

Erica Baldwin, a spokeswoman for the State Employees Association of N.C., which represents state workers, said it agrees with using the rainy-day fund but worries that higher premiums will drive state workers from the plan.

"It's putting costs more out of reach for families," she said. (N&O)

State Treasurer Janet Cowell said this morning that the state's pension fund is down $16 billion from a year ago.

The fund, which pays retirement benefits for tens of thousands of state and local government employees, is valued at $60 billion, Ben Niolet reports.

A year ago, the fund was worth $77 billion. The drop represents a 19.7 percent decline in fund performance, a measure created by the fund's actuary.

Cowell said the fund is down because of the dramatic downturn in global markets. The state's treasurers have traditionally been conservative in how they invest the money, which is why the state's pension fund is faring better than other similar funds, she said.

As the markets have turned worse, the Treasurer's office has turned even more conservative, increasing its allocation in less risky, long-term investments.

"North Carolina is in better shape than almost any state," she said.

Former Treasurer Richard Moore like to tout the fact that the fund had more than enough money to pay its beneficiaries. That's still true, but the number is sliding, Cowell said. The plan is funded at 104.7 percent. Next year that number will slide to about 100 percent.

Cowell said all retirees will get their benefits.

"You're entitled to your money," Cowell said.

The loss in value likely means that the legislature will have to increase its contribution to employees retirement benefits by about $29 million for the next year. That means the tab for the legislature will be somewhere around $430 million. The legislature's burden will likely increase in 2010.

Employees contribute 6 percent of their checks to the fund. Erica Baldwin, a spokeswoman for the State Employees Association, which represents some 55,000 employees or retirees, said the organization has repeatedly urged the legislature to up their contribution to state employees retirement.

"That's been the weakest leg of the stool," Baldwin said.

Update: Post now includes more details.

Correction: Post now includes correct value of the fund a year ago. It also includes a better description of the change in performance.

The State Employees Association of N.C. does not plan any more ads. 

The group, which represents 55,000 state workers, had previously run a full-page ad in the Charlotte Observer and the N&O calling for state Treasurer Richard Moore to release records about his handling of the state pension fund.

SEANC spokeswoman Erica Baldwin said that the ads were a one-time thing.

When the ads ran, the group argued that they were not aimed at hurting Moore's campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Baldwin repeated that argument this afternoon, adding that the group is not making an endorsement.

Earlier today, Moore's rival, Beverly Perdue, said she is asking her supporters not to run negative ads in the gubernatorial primary, but Baldwin said that was a separate issue regardless.

"It's really apples and oranges," she said. "Our ad was not against Richard Moore, but his practices in his office as state treasurer."