MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Legislature voted Wednesday to allow state workers and education employees to count some overtime pay to increase their pension benefits.

The Senate voted 33-0 and the House used a voice vote to give final passage to the bill. It now goes to Gov. Robert Bentley. His spokesman, Jeremy King, said Bentley supported the effort and he expects the governor to sign the bill into law pending a review of the final version.

The bill arose after the state personnel director and state comptroller asked Attorney General Luther Strange in 2011 if public workers could count overtime toward their pensions. State law did not provide for overtime to count toward pensions in the Retirement Systems of Alabama, Strange said. The pension system had been counting overtime since the 1970s. The opinion primarily affected law enforcement and corrections employees. Strange encouraged the Legislature to change the law to allow the practice of counting overtime to resume.