HARRISBURG –– The Pennsylvania Senate has unanimously approved legislation to close a nearly 100-year-old loophole in firefighter pension benefits. That’s according to State Senator Devlin Robinson.
House Bill 797, sponsored by State Representative 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.