diff --git a/expr.cpp b/expr.cpp
index f46347ee..81f51151 100644
--- a/expr.cpp
+++ b/expr.cpp
@@ -7497,7 +7497,24 @@ lPrintOverloadCandidates(SourcePos pos, const std::vector<Symbol *> &funcs,
     Error(pos, "%s", passedTypes.c_str());
 }
 
-             
+
+static bool
+lIsMatchToNonConstReference(const Type *callType, const Type *funcArgType) {
+    return (dynamic_cast<const ReferenceType *>(funcArgType) &&
+            (funcArgType->IsConstType() == false) &&
+            Type::Equal(callType, funcArgType->GetReferenceTarget()));
+}
+
+
+static bool
+lIsMatchToNonConstReferenceUnifToVarying(const Type *callType,
+                                         const Type *funcArgType) {
+    return (dynamic_cast<const ReferenceType *>(funcArgType) &&
+            (funcArgType->IsConstType() == false) &&
+            Type::Equal(callType->GetAsVaryingType(),
+                        funcArgType->GetReferenceTarget()));
+}
+
 /** Helper function used for function overload resolution: returns true if
     converting the argument to the call type only requires a type
     conversion that won't lose information.  Otherwise return false.
@@ -7597,6 +7614,20 @@ FunctionSymbolExpr::getCandidateFunctions(int argCount) const {
 }
 
 
+static bool
+lArgIsPointerType(const Type *type) {
+    if (dynamic_cast<const PointerType *>(type) != NULL)
+        return true;
+
+    const ReferenceType *rt = dynamic_cast<const ReferenceType *>(type);
+    if (rt == NULL)
+        return false;
+
+    const Type *t = rt->GetReferenceTarget();
+    return (dynamic_cast<const PointerType *>(t) != NULL);
+}
+
+
 /** This function computes the value of a cost function that represents the
     cost of calling a function of the given type with arguments of the
     given types.  If it's not possible to call the function, regardless of
@@ -7623,19 +7654,11 @@ FunctionSymbolExpr::computeOverloadCost(const FunctionType *ftype,
         const Type *fargType = ftype->GetParameterType(i);
         const Type *callType = argTypes[i];
 
-        // For convenience, normalize to non-const types (except for
-        // references, where const-ness matters).  For all other types,
-        // we're passing by value anyway, so const doesn't matter.
-        if (dynamic_cast<const ReferenceType *>(callType) == NULL)
-            callType = callType->GetAsNonConstType();
-        if (dynamic_cast<const ReferenceType *>(fargType) == NULL)
-            fargType = fargType->GetAsNonConstType();
-
         if (Type::Equal(callType, fargType))
             // Perfect match: no cost
             costSum += 0;
         else if (argCouldBeNULL && (*argCouldBeNULL)[i] &&
-                 dynamic_cast<const PointerType *>(fargType) != NULL)
+                 lArgIsPointerType(fargType))
             // Passing NULL to a pointer-typed parameter is also a no-cost
             // operation
             costSum += 0;
@@ -7645,19 +7668,33 @@ FunctionSymbolExpr::computeOverloadCost(const FunctionType *ftype,
             // cost if it wasn't--so scale up the cost when this isn't the
             // case..
             if (argIsConstant == NULL || (*argIsConstant)[i] == false)
-                costScale *= 32;
+                costScale *= 128;
+
+            // For convenience, normalize to non-const types (except for
+            // references, where const-ness matters).  For all other types,
+            // we're passing by value anyway, so const doesn't matter.
+            const Type *callTypeNC = callType, *fargTypeNC = fargType;
+            if (dynamic_cast<const ReferenceType *>(callType) == NULL)
+                callTypeNC = callType->GetAsNonConstType();
+            if (dynamic_cast<const ReferenceType *>(fargType) == NULL)
+                fargTypeNC = fargType->GetAsNonConstType();
                 
-            if (Type::Equal(callType, fargType))
+            if (Type::Equal(callTypeNC, fargTypeNC))
                 // Exact match (after dealing with references, above)
                 costSum += 1 * costScale;
-            else if (lIsMatchWithTypeWidening(callType, fargType))
+            // note: orig fargType for the next two...
+            else if (lIsMatchToNonConstReference(callTypeNC, fargType))
                 costSum += 2 * costScale;
-            else if (lIsMatchWithUniformToVarying(callType, fargType))
+            else if (lIsMatchToNonConstReferenceUnifToVarying(callTypeNC, fargType))
                 costSum += 4 * costScale;
-            else if (lIsMatchWithTypeConvSameVariability(callType, fargType))
+            else if (lIsMatchWithTypeWidening(callTypeNC, fargTypeNC))
                 costSum += 8 * costScale;
-            else if (CanConvertTypes(callType, fargType))
+            else if (lIsMatchWithUniformToVarying(callTypeNC, fargTypeNC))
                 costSum += 16 * costScale;
+            else if (lIsMatchWithTypeConvSameVariability(callTypeNC, fargTypeNC))
+                costSum += 32 * costScale;
+            else if (CanConvertTypes(callTypeNC, fargTypeNC))
+                costSum += 64 * costScale;
             else
                 // Failure--no type conversion possible...
                 return -1;
diff --git a/tests/func-overload-refs.ispc b/tests/func-overload-refs.ispc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..89184812
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/func-overload-refs.ispc
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+
+export uniform int width() { return programCount; }
+
+float foo(float &a) { return 1; }
+float foo(const float &a) { return 2; }
+
+export void f_f(uniform float RET[], uniform float aFOO[]) {
+    float x = 0;
+    RET[programIndex] = foo(x); 
+}
+
+export void result(uniform float RET[]) {
+    RET[programIndex] = 1;
+}