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Committee advances bill to extend pension eligibility for children of off-duty public-safety decedents
Summary
The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee favorably released S-165 after testimony from Peggy Mallon Waszak, who urged extending pension benefits to children until age 24 when a public-safety parent dies off duty and the death is linked to service. The committee recorded a favorable roll call.
Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee members on March 17 favorably released S-165, a bill that would expand the definition of "child" under the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System (PFRS) and the State Police Retirement System (SPRS) to cover certain off‑duty deaths linked to public‑safety service.
Peggy Mallon Waszak testified in support of the bill, describing her grandsons, Ryan and Gavin Mallon, who were 10 and 8 when their public‑safety parent died and who will lose pension survivor benefits at age 18. "We are only asking the state to extend the boys' pension until they are 24," Mallon Waszak said, arguing the change would help children whose parent died off duty but whose death resulted from service‑related conditions such as an accidental suicide or medical events tied to service.
Supporters framed the bill as narrowly targeted and said the number of children affected would be small. Committee staff and witnesses noted that the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) found it difficult to produce a precise fiscal estimate because the eligibility hinge points require case‑by‑case review; staff referenced OLS estimates for related systems to illustrate potential but uncertain costs.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about the bill’s scope, which would not change eligibility for children whose parent died in the line of duty (those beneficiaries already have a separate schedule of benefits). Mallon Waszak also told members she believed the legislative fiscal estimate may have miscounted certain cases and asked staff to ensure only the intended cases were included in cost modeling.
The motion to release S‑165 passed on a roll call in committee; the committee record shows the bill was "favorably released as referred to committee." No formal amendment to the bill was noted in the transcript. The next step is committee referral for further floor consideration as scheduled by Senate leadership.
