New pension plan being pushed by Senate appears to do less than their last pension bill

But the numbers that appear to matter are the votes legislative leaders expect it will get in the General Assembly.

HARRISBURG (June 4) – During a rare Sunday evening session of the state Senate, a pension bill that doesn’t appear to save any money for or shift much risk from taxpayers was positioned for a final Senate vote on Monday.  The Senate Appropriations Committee, on a near party-line vote, adopted two amendments to the bill, the original version of which was nearly identical to the bill reported from a conference committee late last session that failed to get voted by either chamber of the General Assembly.  Proponents of the new bill, Senate Bill 1, say this time around, the measure will win approval in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, which during the last four or five years, has been the more difficult chamber of the two in which to find enough votes for a pension bill.  “To get a bill that can be passed by the Senate, passed by the House and signed by the governor means compromise,” said Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, following the committee meeting about SB1. “This is far, far better – significantly – and still provides a good benefit. I’m not going to quibble and say this bill save more money than that bill … What I’m going to say is this is what can get two chambers to pass, and the governor to sign, and that’s the most important thing, because the other bills couldn’t, so therefore they don’t save anything.”

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Source: Capitolwire: PSBA Website POSTED ON JUN 5, 2017 By Chris Comisac, Capitolwire Bureau Chief.