JACKSON, Miss. — If you retire from a state job after July 1 of this year, you won’t get a 13th check until your 65-years-of age under a senate bill.
But Democratic lawmakers have banned together to try to defeat the legislation. “It is not right to continue to beat up on government workers,” said State Senator Hob Bryan at a Thursday morning press conference at the State Capital.
“Their take home pay has been going down; their insurance has gone up; the deductions for the retirement system has gone up; and over the past five years they have not complained because they have understood that these are difficult times.”
But Bryan said times are getting better and it’s up to lawmakers now to do “right by state workers.” He said denying retired state workers a cost of living adjustment until they turn 65 is simply not fair. “There’s a simple thing that can be done to solve the problem… and it’s for the republicans to kill the bill.”
Democrats estimate some 300,000 state workers across Mississippi could be affected by the proposed legislation.
