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AG Warns Proposed Pension Overhaul Wouldn’t Hold Up in Court
By: Associated Press
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FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – Kentucky’s attorney general says a public pension overhaul proposed by Republican lawmakers would not withstand court challenges likely to follow if the measure becomes law.
Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear weighed in on one of the legislative session’s defining issues shortly before a Senate committee was scheduled to review the pension bill.
In a letter to lawmakers, Beshear said Wednesday that the bill would break the inviolable contract between the state and its public employees.
Beshear says that contract would be broken because the bill would reduce or alter guaranteed benefits. For teachers, he says it would reduce cost-of-living adjustments and cap use of sick time. For some other public employees, he says it would unlawfully change how retirement is calculated.
Beshear warned the measure would draw numerous lawsuits if enacted. And he predicts the state would lose in court.