Why not take this bill further and consider early retirement incentives for state employees that are receiving maximum step salaries. For example, by reducing the penalty for years under the age of 62 would probably get a favorable reponse for those that want to retire but do not meet the age requirement. It is obvious that many long time state employees are just waiting it out and many are not necessarily "producing" for the state. By getting them out now, the state could save between 25 to 50 percent of their salary cost by hiring a new employee at the intial salary step, and the state would get a "bigger bang for their bucks." Seems like a win-win situation!