HARRISBURG — Some lawmakers who left office last month are walking away with handsome parting gifts. Few people in the private sector will ever see such retirement packages in these days of disappearing or frozen company pension plans.

Several former legislators are eligible to receive pension payments topping $100,000 a year, a Patriot-News analysis reveals.

Former Senate Democratic Leader Robert Mellow of Lackawanna County is the biggest winner. He can receive a maximum pension payout of $330,915 a year.

Former Rep. Frank Oliver of Philadelphia is eligible for a maximum yearly pension of $235,686.

Mellow and Oliver’s pensions far exceed their annual salaries. Efforts to reach these former lawmakers last week were unsuccessful.

Three other outgoing lawmakers will be eligible to draw pensions that exceed their annual salaries for their last year in office: former Sens. Raphael Musto and Barry Stout and former Rep. John Perzel. Eighteen others are eligible to receive maximum yearly pensions ranging between $17,295 and $92,761.

In addition to the pensions, most departing lawmakers also collect generous health care benefits.

“If they took care of citizens of Pennsylvania as well as they take care of themselves, we’d be in nirvana,” said Tim Potts, co-founder of Democracy Rising PA, a government reform group.

Both Musto and Perzel face the possibility of losing their pensions. Both have been indicted and if convicted would lose their pensions. Both Perzel and Musto maintain their innocence.

Potts and other critics maintain it is unconstitutional for lawmakers to receive a state pension.

They point to a section of the state Constitution that limits legislative compensation to salaries and mileage.