A commission studying Maryland’s ailing pension system on behalf of Gov. Martin O’Malley and the General Assembly recommended Thursday that the state’s attorney general determine whether the state could reduce cost of living adjustments for retirees. Citing concerns about Maryland’s fiscal soundness, the Public Employees’ and Retirees’ Benefit Sustainability Commission — headed by former House Speaker Casper Taylor — said reductions in COLAs should be on the table, even though the General Assembly already slashed pension benefits for employees this year.

“We’re trying to be as comprehensive in our recommendations as we can and stay within the language that we were given in our creation, but we don’t want to mislead the public into believing that the future is safer and more secure than it really is, and therefore this issue of the COLA is an issue that must be faced up to, and I would suggest, I think we all would suggest, the sooner the better,” Taylor said.