HARRISBURG –– The Senate has unanimously approved legislation to close a nearly 100-year-old loophole in firefighter pension benefits, according to Sen. Devlin Robinson who helped lead the effort.
House Bill 797, sponsored by Rep. Jessica Benham, would update the Second Class City Firemen Relief Law to clarify eligibility rules for firefighter pensions, ensuring surviving spouses – including those who remarry or were married after retirement – will still receive benefits. Robinson sponsored the companion legislation in the Senate.
Under current law, surviving spouses of firefighters lose their pension benefits upon remarriage. A similar restriction for Pittsburgh police spouses was eliminated in 2006. This legislation will remove a longstanding penalty for Pittsburgh firefighters and their families, ending what Robinson described as inequitable treatment among first responders.
The bill now heads to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.