With the Kentucky General Assembly back in Frankfort, state and local government employees and retirees are looking to lawmakers to fix the pension system.

Some estimates have the Kentucky state employee pension system 33 billion dollars in the hole and a task force has been working for several months to make recommendations on how to make it solvent again.

Ninth District State Representative Myron Dossett says the problems are a result of several years worth of not sufficiently funding the system.

Third District State Senator Whitney Westerfield says new employees simply won’t be able to sign up for the same benefits promised to current employees because of simple economics.

Tax reform and redistricting are two other major issues facing lawmakers and Eighth District Representative John Tilley says Kentuckians won’t be pleased if the General Assembly doesn’t find some solutions during the remaining time this session.

Governor Steve Beshear has pushed for lawmakers to redistrict during a special session, but Representative Tilley and others have said it’s more likely they will try as hard as they can to get it all done during the regular 30 days.

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02/05/2013/am