House quickly advances 13th check for public pension retirees out of committee

Tens of thousands of public pension recipients would get a boost this year under legislation headed to the House floor.

A bill, HB 1004, creating a 13th check unanimously cleared a House committee this week.

For decades, public pension recipients received a 13th check, an extra month’s worth of benefits.

But disagreement between the House and Senate last year over whether to do a check or a cost-of-living adjustment in the state budget left those retirees without either.

Jessica Love, executive director for the Retired Indiana Public Employees Association, told lawmakers that those thousands of older Hoosiers rely on their pensions.

“And because inflation makes it impossible for their pensions to keep up, they depend on you to implement measures like this,” Love said.
 

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Senate Republican leaders are undecided on whether to support the bill.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.