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Corbett brings his pension plea to Bucks

Gov. Corbett on Wednesday made a Bucks County senior center the latest stop on his weeks-long campaign to rally support for a bill addressing rising pension costs.

With tie loosened and sleeves rolled up inside the Neshaminy Senior Activities Center in Trevose, Corbett listened to a group of county residents discuss their concerns about rising property taxes, then told them that overhauling the pension system could be a solution.

While local school boards determine property taxes based on a number of factors, Corbett contends cutting pension costs could reduce pressure on districts to raise taxes to pay for them.

He urged residents to reach out to their state legislators on the issue, saying that property tax relief - made possible by a pension system overhaul - "is the most important issue going on for the average homeowner."

The Republican governor, facing a difficult reelection bid, has long sparred with lawmakers over how to combat the rising cost of public-worker pensions.

After lawmakers declined to vote on a pension overhaul bill before adjourning for the summer, Corbett approved the legislature's $29 billion budget _ but he vetoed $65 million in funding for House and Senate operations, hoping the hard-line tactics would compel action on pensions.

Corbett said Wednesday that he said he hadn't decided whether to call a special session to force legislators to return to Harrisburg to discuss the bill.

He was scheduled to make a similar stop at the Jarrettown Hotel in Dresher, Montgomery County, later Wednesday.