The House has approved a proposal to require legislators to contribute more into their pension plan, but the sponsor of the measure says the Legislature needs to scale back its retirement program.

Legislators don't receive an annual salary, but they are eligible for a retirement program that requires them to contribute $500 a year currently. The House approved a bill on Thursday to increase those yearly contributions to $600. The measure goes to the Senate for consideration.

Rep. Dennis Kintigh, a Roswell Republican, sponsored the proposal but says more change is needed to make the legislative pension system less generous.

Another Kintigh measure would establish a minimum retirement age of 62 for legislators to get a pension, but that has been shelved by a House committee.




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