State House approves Cox pension bill

The state House recently advanced legislation introduced by Rep. Jim Cox (R-Berks/Lancaster) that would prohibit future employees of a multi-state commission from participating in the state’s public pension system.

“This is about saving taxpayer money, but it’s also about a basic issue of fairness,” Cox said. “Pennsylvania taxpayers shouldn’t have to solely pay for the retirement benefits of future workers for a commission that serves three states.”

The bill would impact future employees of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), a tri-state commission that managed the resources of the Susquehanna River basin. The commission was created through a federal law enacted in 1970 that also was adopted by the legislatures of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York.

SRBC employees currently participate in the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS), a public pension plan that is funded in part with taxpayer dollars. According to the Independent Fiscal Office, there were 65 employees of the SRBC who were active, contributing members of SERS in 2017.

The bill would not impact current workers or retirees. Existing laws, previous court cases and the state Constitution prevent the state from removing current participants from the state pension system.

“If someone argues this wouldn’t save a lot of money, so it’s not worth pursuing, I would say they’re missing the point,” Rep. Cox said. “These are taxpayers’ dollars and we should try to save everyone we can.”

The bill now heads to the state Senate for consideration.