Malagari’s H.B. 411 to support retired teachers & other public employees passes PA House, heads to state Senate
Rep. Steve Malagari April 9, 2025
LANSDALE, April 9 – Many of Pennsylvania's retired teachers and other state employees are one step closer to receiving long-overdue financial relief after the PA House voted today to pass legislation (H.B. 411) introduced by state Rep. Steve Malagari that would provide a COLA for the state’s most senior retirees.
The bill now heads to the state Senate for consideration.
The bill would increase monthly pension payments for school employees (via the Public School Employees’ Retirement System, or PSERS) and state workers (via the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System, or SERS) who retired before July 2, 2001. This subset of nearly 60,000 long-retired public workers, many of whom are now in their 80s or older, have had no pension adjustment to account for inflation in 23 years, with the cost of living rising the entire time.
“The people we represent often hear us, their lawmakers, talk about supporting our aging population and taking care of those who took care of us. Today, those who joined me in supporting this legislation can say we took action to do just that,” Malagari said. “To be frank, the decisions being handed down in the federal government right now are only going to make it harder for older adults to make ends meet. Having to decide between paying for medication or putting food on the table is not a decision the people who devoted their careers to serving us should have to make.”
The bill ties the supplement to an individual’s retirement date, starting at 15% for those who retired in the year before July 2001 and rising incrementally to 24.5% for those who retired before July 1982.
“We’re talking about retired workers who earned their pensions through years of dedicated public service,” Malagari continued. “Getting this legislation through the Senate and to the governor’s desk means getting them the retirement security they deserve.”