Pension reform is moving to Governor Tom Wolf’s desk after the House passed Senate Bill 1 with bipartisan support.  Wolf says he is eager to sign the bill.  

The bill passed the Senate Monday after a late Sunday night vote by the Appropriations Committee.  The House voted 143-53 on the bill.  

The bill went through both the Senate and the House without any major opposition from the usual unions coming out against it like they have for previous pension bills.  

As the Patriot News reports, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Service Employees International Union and the Pennsylvania State Education Association have all remained silent about the bill.  The only major union to voice opposition to the bill was the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers who sent a letter calling on state Representatives to vote against the bill.  

The Patriot News points out that the silence from the unions may be because in the current climate the bill is the least harmful to state workers, and that the bill’s passage can benefit Wolf for his re-election campaign.  By having Senate Bill 1 pass and be signed by Wolf, it can take the complicated issue off the table for the campaign, and can present a win for Wolf on the issue.  

Wolf’s official office is already pushing the bill as a bipartisan win that went through his office.  

“The passage of Senate Bill 1 is an example of how Harrisburg can come together to make progress on issues that matter to the people of Pennsylvania. The collaborative and cooperative process that led to consensus is a byproduct of both Republicans and Democrats working with my administration to achieve significant reform,” Wolf said in a statement.  

Republicans are pointing to the bill as a win for them by reinventing government.

“We are working to reinvent Pennsylvania government to responsibly provide efficient, effective and sustainable government services and programs, and pension reform meets that goal,” House Majority Leader David Reed (R-Indiana) said in a statement after the House passed the bill.