Carrie Kurlander, the governor's press secretary, said he was not aware of the bill until Thursday. He will definitely have to study it. The state Constitution prohibits legislators from receiving a pension, but does not refer to a tax-deferred savings plan. Rep. Bob McKee, R-Montgomery, said Thursday's vote was the latest example of trickery in the Legislature. It's very disturbing to me.
Lawmakers sponsoring the bill say their intent is to help public employees.
However, public employees and lawmakers can already enroll in a tax-deferred savings plan through the Retirement Systems of Alabama. The difference in the new plan would be the state could provide a match to employee contributions. The match is not included in the bill, but the bill authorizes matching funds from the Legislature. Supporters said it was good to provide employees a new savings option. The Alabama Education Association, the labor union for education employees, is also behind the bill.