Mullery votes for careful pension changes for future public employees

Rep. Gerald Mullery    June 15, 2016 | 12:33 PM

HARRISBURG, June 15 – State Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Luzerne, voted in favor of a pension reform bill that maintains benefits for current public employees and retirees while changing the pension structure for most future state and school employees.

“Pennsylvanians have been demanding the General Assembly address the state’s public pension challenges and I feel this bill is a step forward,” Mullery said. “This bill will save nearly $6 billion in future pension costs.

“I believe this bipartisan compromise is a vast improvement on the approach of previous years. While this action is not linked to the budget, it moves us closer to being able to focus on crafting a balanced state budget that invests properly in education and begins to fix our deficit.”

The bill (S.B. 1071), which was amended in the House, would shift some financial risk away from taxpayers and reduce future pension costs while protecting retirement security for current employees and those who are already retired.