KPERS' retirees urge House panel to embrace $185 million cost-of-living adjustment

Advocates of judicial, law enforcement, firefighter and other government retirees urged Kansas House members Monday to rally behind legislation delivering a $185 million cost-of-living adjustment to people receiving benefits from the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System.

KPERS retirees received their last COLA in 1998 and last received a one-time cash bonus in 2008. The overall cost to government employers of the proposed 1 percent to 3 percent monthly bump could jeopardize the bill assigned to the House Financial Institutions and Pensions Committee.

“There’s a lot of balls up in the air right now,” said Chairman Jim Kelly, a House Republican from Independence. “I wanted this to be available.”

Alan Conroy, executive director of KPERS, said the legislation would apply to 80,100 retirees and beneficiaries. Approximately 300,000 employees, former employees and retirees are part of KPERS.

Read more: https://www.cjonline.com/news/20190211/kpers-retirees-urge-house-panel-to-embrace-185-million-cost-of-living-adjustment