Legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi was known to say, “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” Lombardi knew a thing or two about winning: he was a two-time Super Bowl champion, a five-time NFL champion, and a two-time NFL Coach of the Year. He credited his triumphs to perseverance, teamwork, discipline, and the work ethic it takes to play the long game.
In recent years, retirement security in the US has made great strides–with that same dedication and perseverance, pension champions have gained a lot of yards lately, and even scored a few touchdowns. Here are just a few:
California – First Responders Fight for a Fair Retirement
California Assembly Bill 1383 was introduced in February 2025 to address recruitment and retention crises among first responders and public safety workers. The bill aims to modify the Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) by raising benefit multipliers, lowering the minimum retirement age, and permitting collective bargaining to negotiate pension cost-sharing, enabling public employers to cover larger shares of pension costs.
Garnering support from various public safety organizations, AB 1383 passed the House in January 2026. The Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee approved the bill, and it will be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee when the California General Assembly returns from summer recess in August.
Colorado – Special Needs Schools Qualify for PERA Benefits
Two laws were passed in Colorado this year that expanded educators’ access to pensions through the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA).
HB1146 will extend PERA benefits to employees at 30 state-approved facility schools that serve approximately 3,000 students with behavioral or special education needs. Facility schools in Colorado provide students with severe behavioral, mental health, or special education needs access to education through residential programs, day treatment, in hospitals, and at specialized day schools. Over 6,000 students are placed in the 36 state-approved facility schools each year.
Teachers in the Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST) charter schools were also ushered into PERA with the passage of SB151. This bill also expands member representation on the PERA Board of Trustees by replacing a previously non-voting ex officio position with a voting member elected by and from Denver Public Schools.
Connecticut – Municipal Public Safety Pension Study Ordered
Lawmakers in the Nutmeg State passed SB298 this year, which requires the Comptroller’s office to study the fiscal impacts on municipalities that do not currently provide a defined pension plan for full-time police and firefighters.
Several cities in Connecticut have faced higher turnover and vacancy rates after denying municipal public safety workers pensions. The cities of Branford and West Haven notably reoffered pensions to their police departments, citing a pipeline of officers who train in their cities, only to take up employment in neighboring departments that offer defined-benefit pensions.
Minnesota – Pension Plans Extended to Cover More Public Safety Workers
The passage of the omnibus retirement bill HF407 included mandates to create a Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA)-administered pension plan for probation officers and 911 telecommunicators, a $12 million appropriation to reduce the PERA Police & Fire cost-of-living adjustment delay to one year, and establishes a committee to examine vesting adjustments and the potential inclusion of emergency medical providers in fire relief associations and the Statewide Volunteer Firefighter Plan.
The omnibus bill encompassed 16 pension-related bills from the 2026 session that had been approved by the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement. Other provisions of the bill include reducing the age at which retired teachers may return to work, revisions to the state’s fire marshal subplan, and mandating pension plan changes to comply with the Minnesota Paid Leave program.
Mississippi – Painful Pension Reforms Rolled Back
Despite pushback from public employees, Mississippi lawmakers voted in the 2025 legislative session to implement a controversial new tier of the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). Tier 5, the mandatory hybrid retirement plan, dictated several changes for employees hired on or after March 1, 2026, including raising the minimum years of service to the state from 30 to 35.
This year, the legislature walked back its decision–in part–and passed HB4073, bringing the service requirement back to 30 years and allowing retirees to return to the workforce sooner, dropping the mandatory separation period from 90 days to 30 days. Public safety and education officials say these necessary changes will help combat the state’s difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified employees in the public sector.
New Hampshire – Firefighters Win Landmark Pension Fix for Group II
Fifteen years ago, lawmakers in the Granite State approved detrimental changes to the New Hampshire Retirement System (NHRS), creating a new tier for employees hired on or after July 1, 2011. Group II (Police and Fire) modifications included a reduction in creditable service years, an increased minimum retirement age, increased employee contributions, and retroactive modification of the defined benefit formula for more than 2,000 firefighters and other public safety personnel who’d been on the job for less than ten years.
Flash forward to 2025, following years of advocacy and declining numbers in the workforce, Governor Kelly Ayotte, along with the state legislative body, delivered on her campaign promise to restore Group II’s retirement benefits, dedicating $234.5 million from the FY26 budget to pension benefit restoration. In a statement, Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire President Brian Ryll said, “This is a landmark moment for our members. After years of work, I’m proud to say New Hampshire firefighters will once again have a fair and dignified retirement.”
New York – Empire State Unions Come Together for Pension Improvements
This year, the “Fix Tier 6” rallying cry from unions and public employees sought to undo the 2012 reforms that increased employee contributions, drastically reduced benefits, and increased the minimum retirement age. Advocates argued the changes have created long-term workforce challenges for public employers by making public service careers less attractive.
Following a well-organized coalition effort, which included a March 8 rally of over 15,000 advocates in Albany, lawmakers approved a state budget that adjusts Tier 6 to include reductions to pension contribution rates for many public workers across several salary bands, an increased overtime cap used in final average salary calculations, and a reduction in minimum retirement age for educators.
Vermont – Municipal Public Safety Officers Welcomed into Pension System
Sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, and municipal law enforcement officers in Vermont became eligible for participation in the Vermont State Employees’ Retirement System (VSERS) this year, after Governor Phil Scott signed HB519 into law on May 11, 2026.
The new law mandates that law enforcement officers qualify for Group G if they work for a municipal employer that participates in VSERS, hold a Level II or Level III law enforcement officer certification from the Vermont Criminal Justice Council, and perform law enforcement duties as the primary function of the job. Eligible officers will have a one-time option to transfer into the DB system.
Washington – Workers Win Collective Bargaining for Benefits
Employees of the Washington Department of Corrections are now eligible to collectively bargain for supplemental retirement benefits, such as health care, paving the way for more member-focused negotiations.
Previously, retirement plans and benefits were excluded from collective bargaining, but the adoption of HB1069 explicitly requires that contributions for supplemental retirement benefits be a mandatory bargaining subject. For now, this law only applies to union-represented Department of Corrections employees.
Wyoming – Retirement Security for Firefighters
Wyoming legislators passed two bills this year that expand access to pensions for firefighters and protect the financial security of families who lose a loved one in the line of duty.
HB 34 allows certain full-time employees engaged in firefighting and wildland firefighting roles within Wyoming state agencies, including the Wyoming National Guard Fire Department crash and rescue units, to receive a pension from the Wyoming Retirement System. HB41 enhances retirement and death benefits for surviving dependents of state law enforcement officers from the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Capitol Police, and the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) who are killed in the line of duty.
Coach Lombardi also said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”
Lombardi’s sentiment extends into the pension advocacy realm. The campaigns that yielded these policy changes weren’t launched overnight. It took organizing, meetings, actuarial analysis, legislative hearings, and votes. At each juncture, the workers told their personal stories of their jobs and the retirement benefits proportional to their work. Due to this hard work, public pension benefits are steadily expanding and improving nationwide.