HARRISBURG – Sen. Devlin Robinson (R-37) recently introduced legislation addressing a loophole in the pension of Pittsburgh firefighters.
Senate Bill 577 would amend the current law to allow for surviving spouses of firefighters to continue receiving pension payments upon remarriage.
“The current law does not treat the surviving spouses of firefighters equally to those of other first responders, and it’s time to change that,” Robinson said.
Under current law, spouses of firefighters lose eligibility to receive pension payments upon remarriage. In 2006, the provision ending pension benefits for surviving spouses of Pittsburgh police officers upon remarriage was repealed. Robinson’s legislation would provide pension parity for Pittsburgh firefighters to their police counterparts and end this unfair treatment of our first responder families.
The bill mirrors a similar proposal introduced by Rep. Jessica Benham (D-36) during the previous legislative session. It now awaits consideration from the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee.
CONTACT: Allison Dutrey