Lawmaker pledges support to state retirees

Lawmaker pledges support to state retirees

Hoping to quell recent concerns over the Public Employees Retirement System, key lawmakers on Thursday pledged to protect retirees’ annual cost of living adjustments, commonly called the “13th check.”

“There’s no sentiment to make any changes to that,” Sen. Billy Hewes, R-Gulfport, said during a meeting of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

The move appears to indicate that even if a study commission appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour recommends drastic changes to the so-called 13th check, the efforts would not gain traction among lawmakers.

Clarion Ledger
9/22/11