HARRISBURG
(June 30, 2015) – The
National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) praised the General Assembly
for passing Senate Bill 1, which would reform the state’s pension system. NFIB
is Pennsylvania’s largest small-business group with 15,000
members in the state.
“Pennsylvania’s
public pension deficit is the single-greatest financial threat facing the
commonwealth, school districts and ultimately taxpayers, including
small-business owners,” said NFIB/PA State Legislative Director, Neal
Lesher.
“The
pension plan the legislature passed moves all future employees into a defined
contribution style plan. That’s key, and it reflects what already occurred in
the private sector decades ago.
“It’s
easy to come to Harrisburg and simply seek to raise taxes and maintain the
status quo. True leadership requires rolling up the sleeves and enacting
fundamental reforms to the way government operates.
“While
SB 1 does not contain all of the reforms that some of us would have liked to
see, it still represents a significant step forward to bring government in line
with the 21st century.
“After
years of debate, and countless hours of work for the legislature to get to this
point, it would be a shame for the Governor to simply say no and veto this
historic reform. I hope he will consider this legislation fairly and come down
on the side of the taxpayer.”
# # #
