TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey can find $120 million for Jersey City, tens of millions for immigration-related legal services and even $50,000 for a cricket league. So why should retired police officers, firefighters and State Troopers potentially wait another quarter-century for cost-of-living adjustments?
Assemblyman Alex Sauickie (R-Ocean) is asking that question while pressing legislative leaders to advance bills restoring COLAs for retired first responders.
Automatic cost-of-living adjustments for retirees in New Jersey’s state-administered pension systems have been suspended since 2011, when lawmakers tied their restoration to pension funding benchmarks.
During this year’s budget hearings, State Treasurer Aaron Binder suggested those statutory funding levels might not be reached for another 25 years.
“Twenty-five years? Tell that to the retired police officer, firefighter or State Trooper who has already gone more than a decade without a cost-of-living adjustment while the price of groceries, electricity, property taxes, insurance and practically everything else has gone through the roof,” Sauickie said Friday.
The Ocean County Republican is the prime sponsor of A1168, legislation that would restore COLAs for qualifying members of the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System. Its Senate counterpart, S2065, is sponsored by Republican Senators Vincent Polistina (Atlantic) and Holly Schepisi (Bergen). Sauickie says legislation addressing retired teachers is also in the works.
Sauickie is additionally a sponsor of A4623, which would provide similar relief for State Police Retirement System retirees. The Senate version, S495, is sponsored by Republican Senator Owen Henry (Middlesex).
Crucially, Sauickie’s approach would not immediately saddle the pension funds themselves with the added expense. The legislation instead calls for state appropriations to finance the adjustments. A1168 would additionally cover local PFRS costs and reimburse local governments.
“We can strengthen the pension systems and restore COLAs. We don’t have to choose between the two,” Sauickie argued. “The real obstacle is not whether New Jersey has money. It is where Trenton chooses to spend it.”
He points to the recently enacted $60.7 billion FY2027 state budget as evidence.
Among the spending priorities Sauickie highlighted are the controversial $120 million financial assistance package for Jersey City, $20.2 million announced by the Sherrill administration for immigration-related legal services, and a $50,000 appropriation for the Paterson Cricket League.
“Before another politically connected project, another bailout, another special-interest appropriation or another line item gets slipped into a $60 billion budget, we should take care of the people who served this state and were promised retirement security,” Sauickie said.
His PFRS proposal generally covers retirees who have collected benefits for at least 10 years. It would provide inflation-linked adjustments on pension benefits up to $75,000, with smaller adjustments above that threshold. The legislation would not provide retroactive COLA payments. The State Police proposal follows a similar framework.
For Sauickie, the debate ultimately comes down to whether Trenton views restoring some inflation protection for longtime public-safety retirees as a priority — particularly after approving billions in spending elsewhere.
“The bills are written. The funding mechanism is there,” Sauickie said. “Bring them up for a vote.”
“We don’t have to wait 25 years. We can start restoring COLAs now.”
