Update: General Assembly Passes Pension Reform

Both houses of the Rhode Island General Assembly have passed their versions of the pension reform bill.

The State Senate has passed their version of the pension reform bill 34-2. The House has passed their version by a 57-15 vote.

According to an online record, the House voted on its version of measure at 7:39 p.m., then approved the Senate bill two minutes later by a 57-14 tally.

Then, at 7:56 p.m., the Senate voted 32-2 to approve the House version, officially making the legislation law.

State Senator Dawson Hodgson (R-East Greenwich, North Kingstown), and James C. Sheehan (D-Narragansett, North Kingstown) voted for the legislation.

State Reps Donald J. Lally, Jr. (D - Narragansett, North Kingstown) and Laurence W. Ehrhardt (R-District 32, North Kingstown) and Doreen Marie Costa (R-Exeter, North Kingstown) voted for the legislation.

The Finance Committees of the House and Senate separately approved the bills — House Bill 2011-H-6319 and Senate Bill 2011-S-1111 — on Nov. 10, and forwarded them for votes by each chamber. 

After sometimes-contentious hearings at the end of October and beginning of November, union leaders told a joint meeting of the House and Senate Finance Committees that the proposed reforms amounted to "draconian" measures, with firefighters union spokesman Paul Valetta charging Raimondo with "cooking the books" to make the situation look more dire than it is.

In testimony before the joint committee on Nov. 1, Raimondo told legislators that the reforms are needed for the long-term health of the pension system.

"This bill will solve the problem once and for all. If we don't do this comprehensively enough, we'll be back here in two or three years," Raimondo said.