A bill requiring state employees to contribute to their own pension plans passed the House Government Operations Subcommittee Thursday afternoon on a party-lines vote.

With Gov. Rick Scott proposing that state employees contribute up to 5 percent of their salaries to the Florida Retirement System, Republicans in the House looked to push legislation similar to the governor’s plans. HB 1405, which was before the subcommittee, would enact Scott’s call for the 5 percent contribution. The measure would establish an accrual rate for most state employees at 1.6 percent, though some public employees, such as law-enforcement and firefighters, would have higher accrual rates.

“Pension reform is needed,” insisted Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, who brought the bill to the subcommittee. It is being sponsored by Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne.

In her opening comments, Mayfield tried to clarify what the legislation actually did.

“It does not apply to those who have already retired,” said Mayfield. “Benefits already earned are not affected by this bill.”

The Republican majority on the subcommittee offered a series of 10 amendments that passed while Democrats asked questions and pointed out technical flaws in the legislation.

Democrats, led by Jeff Clemens of Lake Worth, Dwayne Taylor of Daytona Beach and Alan Williams of Tallahassee, attempted to slow down a series of amendments proposed by Rep. Marlene O’Toole, R-The Villages, which raised the years of service needed to be eligible for the Florida Retirement System (FRS), arguing that this would ensure that public safety would be negatively impacted as there would be older firefighters and police officers.

The amendment votes generally fell on party lines with the Republican majority moving them through. Democrats continued that line of attack during questioning with Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Boca Raton, pressing Mayfield to admit that she believed public safety would improve with firefighters and police officers retiring later. A measure from freshman Rep. Ana Rivas Logan, R-Miami, providing a cost of living adjustment in the FRS passed through the subcommittee without opposition.

Republicans insisted that taxpayers could not afford to provide for the FRS and that state employees needed to help contribute to their own retirements. Mayfield said that taxpayers could no longer afford to support the “rich benefits” of the FRS -- which led Clemens to ask if she considered the average retired state employee, who he said would make $16,000 a year, to have “rich benefits.”

Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City, opened the meeting to public testimony.