The state’s public employees retirement system is in excellent financial condition, and present and future retirees should not worry about whether they will receive benefits, the agency’s leader told the House Appropriations Committee during a hearing this week.

PERS has $18 billion in assets and about $500 million of that is paid out annually. The system is replenished by contributions that are paid in along with investment income, although those returns have not been positive of late.

“It would take 36 years at that rate” to spend down all the assets. “PERS is fiscally sound,” the leader told the committee, who added that the “13th check” paid to many retirees is not in jeopardy, either. The so-called 13th check is actually a cost-of-living adjustment, “not a bonus.” A House fiscal leader said no bill that might affect the 13th check would be considered this year.

There are about 76,000 persons currently drawing a PERS check monthly, with another 20,000 eligible to retire. There are 373,000 people for whom contributions are paid into the system monthly. There are 57 benefit recipients who are over 100 years old. Another issue that arose in a budget hearing was state government contract workers — state employees who retire and then return to work on a limited basis. One idea is to require agencies hiring retired workers on contract is for the agencies to pay contributions into the retirement system to cover those employees.

Committee work continued to dominate the early session, discussing issues that will arise later and hearing from state agency heads about their financial and policy needs in the next fiscal year. A report on lagging state revenues reiterated how tough the task of devising a FY 2011 budget will be.

It was also a week that saw a huge contingent of alumnae from Mississippi University for Women converge on the Capitol to show support for their alma mater which has had battles on several fronts in recent years.

One issue has been whether to merge MUW with Mississippi State University, as proposed by Gov. Barbour but being fought with fervor by MUW forces. The alums also announced plans to raise $2 million privately to help offset budget cuts. A special guest was MUW graduate Toni Seawright, the state’s first African-America “Miss Mississippi” who entertained for the House of Representatives.

A joint House-Senate education panel continued hearing from a task force that is studying the problem of underachieving schools. There has been some discussion of creating charter schools where underperforming schools continue to fail, but expect more talk before final decisions are made.

We had a big celebration this week of the 75th birthday of Elvis Presley, the Tupelo native who created rock-n-roll. Grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches — the King’s favorite food, thank you very much — were served in the Capitol to commemorate the occasion and appeals were made by a Tupelo group for funding to improve the Presley birthplace there.

The Lee County legislative delegation is seeking $4 million in state support for a planned $5.5 million enhancement project at the site. Tupelo leaders believe improvements to the Presley Birthplace Park and Museum, which already is a major tourist attraction, will make it a destination where people spend a night and buy two meals. That would be an economic boon not only for Tupelo, but for the state, they said. The primary planned improvements would be a theater connected to the museum and an Elvis Childhood trail leading to an amphitheater. The public can watch the legislative proceedings live over the Internet. Go to www.ls.state.ms.us and click on “live webcast,” then choose House or Senate.

Rep. Robert Johnson is a member of the state House of Representatives from Natchez.