pre_text: pension expense .
post_text: pension expense decreased from the prior year due to lower pension settlements , lower loss amortization , primarily from favorable asset experience and the impact of higher discount rates , partially offset by lower expected returns on assets . special items ( settlements , termination benefits , and curtailments ) decreased from the prior year primarily due to lower pension settlement losses . in fiscal year 2019 , special items of $ 7.2 included pension settlement losses of $ 6.4 , of which $ 5.0 was recorded during the second quarter and related to the u.s . supplementary pension plan , and $ .8 of termination benefits . these amounts are reflected within "other non- operating income ( expense ) , net" on the consolidated income statements . in fiscal year 2018 , special items of $ 48.9 included a pension settlement loss of $ 43.7 primarily in connection with the transfer of certain pension assets and payment obligations for our u.s . salaried and hourly plans to an insurer during the fourth quarter , $ 4.8 of pension settlement losses related to lump sum payouts from the u.s . supplementary pension plan , and $ .4 of termination benefits . u.k . lloyds equalization ruling on 26 october 2018 , the united kingdom high court issued a ruling related to the equalization of pension plan participants 2019 benefits for the gender effects of guaranteed minimum pensions . as a result of this ruling , we estimated the impact of retroactively increasing benefits in our u.k . plan in accordance with the high court ruling . we treated the additional benefits as a prior service cost , which resulted in an increase to our projected benefit obligation and accumulated other comprehensive loss of $ 4.7 during the first quarter of fiscal year 2019 . we are amortizing this cost over the average remaining life expectancy of the u.k . participants . 2020 outlook in fiscal year 2020 , we expect pension expense to be approximately $ 5 to $ 20 , which includes expected pension settlement losses of $ 5 to $ 10 , depending on the timing of retirements . the expected range reflects lower expected interest cost and higher total assets , partially offset by higher expected loss amortization primarily due to the impact of lower discount rates . in fiscal year 2020 , we expect pension expense to include approximately $ 105 for amortization of actuarial losses . in fiscal year 2019 , pension expense included amortization of actuarial losses of $ 76.2 . net actuarial losses of $ 424.4 were recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income in fiscal year 2019 . actuarial ( gains ) losses are amortized into pension expense over prospective periods to the extent they are not offset by future gains or losses . future changes in the discount rate and actual returns on plan assets different from expected returns would impact the actuarial ( gains ) losses and resulting amortization in years beyond fiscal year 2020 . pension funding pension funding includes both contributions to funded plans and benefit payments for unfunded plans , which are primarily non-qualified plans . with respect to funded plans , our funding policy is that contributions , combined with appreciation and earnings , will be sufficient to pay benefits without creating unnecessary surpluses . in addition , we make contributions to satisfy all legal funding requirements while managing our capacity to benefit from tax deductions attributable to plan contributions . with the assistance of third-party actuaries , we analyze the liabilities and demographics of each plan , which help guide the level of contributions . during 2019 and 2018 , our cash contributions to funded plans and benefit payments for unfunded plans were $ 40.2 and $ 68.3 , respectively . for fiscal year 2020 , cash contributions to defined benefit plans are estimated to be $ 30 to $ 40 . the estimate is based on expected contributions to certain international plans and anticipated benefit payments for unfunded plans , which are dependent upon the timing of retirements . actual future contributions will depend on future funding legislation , discount rates , investment performance , plan design , and various other factors . refer to the contractual obligations discussion on page 37 for a projection of future contributions. .
table: 2019 2018
table: Pension expense, including special items noted below $27.6 $91.8
table: Settlements, termination benefits, and curtailments ("special items") 7.2 48.9
table: Weighted average discount rate – Service cost 3.4% 3.2%
table: Weighted average discount rate – Interest cost 3.4% 2.9%
table: Weighted average expected rate of return on plan assets 6.4% 6.9%
table: Weighted average expected rate of compensation increase 3.5% 3.5%
question: Analyse this data from a financial earnings document. considering the years 2018-2019 , what is the decrease observed in the pension expenses?