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Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf Open to Issuing Pension Obligation Bonds

New Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has already said he’ll be taking a hands-off, wait-and-see approach to pension reform.

He acknowledges that the system needs to improve its funding, but said he doesn’t think a switch to a 401(k)-type system is the correct way to approach reform.

A Wolf spokesperson, however, revealed this week that the Governor may be open to issuing pension obligation bonds to help pay down the state’s pension debt.

From the Daily Item:

As Gov.-elect Tom Wolf gets ready to wrestle a $2 billion budget deficit, some at the Capitol say the state should borrow money to relieve one of its biggest financial burdens — cash-strapped pensions.

Lawmakers on both sides of aisle have proposed using bonds to shore up the state’s retirement plans. Wolf is open to the idea, as well, said spokesman Jeff Sheridan, but is also willing to listen to alternatives.

It’s a concept that comes with risks — and controversy. Even advocates for the idea seem to embrace it only because no one has come up with a better one.

Annual costs tied to the state’s public employee pensions are expected to increase by more than $500 million in the coming fiscal year.

At least one lawmaker – Republican Rep. Glen Grell has proposed a plan for issuing bonds to fund the pension system.

But many other Republican lawmakers likely won’t be on board with the bond idea. A switch to a 401(k)-type system is still on the mind of many of those legislators.

Photo credit: “Flag-map of Pennsylvania” by Niagara – Own work from File:Flag of Pennsylvania.svg and File:USA Pennsylvania location map.svgThis vector image was created with Inkscape. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag-map_of_Pennsylvania.svg#mediaviewer/File:Flag-map_of_Pennsylvania.svg

New Congress Likely to Attempt Federal Pension Reform

The New Congress has already proved it has its eye on retirement benefits.

But even with lawmakers’ eyes locked on Social Security, there may be federal pension changes coming down the pipeline.

Many lawmakers are weighing changes to the federal pension system, and new legislation on that front could surface this year, according to two key committee chairmen.

The two lawmakers leading the push for federal pension reform are:

* Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, the new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee

* Rep. Mark Meadows R-N.C., chairman of a subcommittee of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that focuses on the federal workforce.

More on their plans from the Federal Times:

As the new Congress kicks into gear, lawmakers want to take another crack at reforming the civil service.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, the new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said he will look at reforming all aspects of the federal workforce, from hiring and firing authorities to pensions and pay.

“We have jurisdiction on the federal workforce and there is no doubt we are going to bring that up,” Chaffetz. “From soup to nuts: Everything from how we hire them on the back end to how we pay them out in the retirement system.”

[…]

As Congress kicks into gear, Meadows believes the committee will be working on legislation for at least some parts of civil service reform.

“I would be very surprised if there were not a number of legislative initiatives and certainly, as a subcommittee chairman, I am prepared to be very proactive,” Meadows said.

What might the reforms look like? A likely bet is legislation that would shift new federal hires into a 401(k)-type plan, as opposed to the current defined-benefit system.

The reforms might be rolled out slowly at first, and could be focused on a particular government agency to study the effects before implementing the reforms across all agencies.

The outgoing Postmaster General has even suggested that any pension reforms be “tested” out on the Post Office first.

The Postmaster said:

Outgoing Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe has called for an end to the defined-benefit pension system and instead shift to a 401(k)-style retirement policy. He said Postal Service reform could also serve as a precursor to governmentwide civil service reform.

“I would encourage Congress to view the Postal Service as a test bed or laboratory of change that might be applied to the rest of the federal government,” Donahoe said.

He said agencies need to be be able to control costs and plan for the future while getting the flexibility to experiment without rigid workforce rules and he said the Postal Service could be at the forefront of that change.

“In today’s world, does it really make sense to offer the promise of a government pension to a 22-year-old who is just entering the workforce? And how reliable is that promise?” Donahoe asked. “I’d like to see the Congress encourage much more experimentation at the federal level. “

No legislation has yet been proposed.

Photo by Bob Jagendorf via FLickr CC License

Chart: Reasons For Lack of Retirement Confidence Among Public Workers

Public workers aren’t confident about having enough income and savings to last through retirement. Why? The number one reason is inadequate savings. A significant portion of people (15 percent) are also worried that state and local-level pension reforms will cut into their pension benefits.

Chart credit: Retirement Confidence Survey 2014

New Jersey Lawyers: 2011 Pension Reforms Invalid, State Doesn’t Have to Contribute to Pension System

New Jersey’s lawyers argued in court yesterday that Chris Christie was acting legally when he cut the state’s pension contribution last year by over $1 billion.

They argued that it didn’t matter that the state’s 2011 pension law – signed by Christie – mandated full pension payments from the state, because that law is unconstitutional.

Appointments Made to New Hampshire Pension Reform Panel

On Wednesday, New Hampshire House Speaker Shawn Jasper announced the formation of a 14-person panel to study the state’s retirement system and potential reforms.

Rep. Jasper has now also revealed who will populate the panel, called the Special Committee on Public Employee Pension Plans.

From Patch:

Veteran lawmaker state Rep. David Hess, R-Hooksett, will lead the Special Committee on Public Employee Pension Plans.

State Rep. John Sytek, R-Salem, will assist Hess as the vice chairman.

Also named to the new pension committee were state Rep. Neal Kurk, R-Weare; state Rep. William Infantine, R-Manchester; state Rep. Gary Azarian, R-Salem; state Rep. William Ohm, R-Nashua; Rep. Frank Byron, R-Litchfield; state Rep. Mark Proulx, R-Manchester; state Rep. Jeffrey Goley, D-Manchester; state Rep. Daniel Sullivan, D-Manchester; state Rep. Patricia Lovejoy, D-Stratham; state Rep. Dianne Schuett, D-Pembroke; state Rep. Len DiSesa, D-Dover; and state Rep. Frank Edelblut, R-Wilton.

[…]

The committee will also look at the funding of public employee pension plans and programs; eligibility for participation in and benefits under public employee pension plans and programs; and alternative public employee pension plans and programs.

The New Hampshire Retirement System was 66 percent funded at the end of fiscal year 2013-14. The system manages $7.41 billion in assets.

Pennsylvania Lawmaker Pushes For Pension Reform Action Before New Governor Takes Office

Pennsylvania Gov-elect Tom Wolf, in stark contrast to his predecessor Tom Corbett, has been adamant that he is not on board with any sweeping changes to the state’s pension system.

But Wolf doesn’t take office until Jan. 20 – and some Republican lawmakers are still pushing for a quick passage of reform legislation before Wolf takes his seat.

Senator John H. Eichelberger Jr. [R] wrote in PennLive recently:

Gov.-Elect Tom Wolf has not yet set forth any legislative priorities, nor have his public statements provided any proposals to address the major concerns facing our state, including our greatest fiscal challenge — the pension crisis.

Given the magnitude of these problems, I urge the House and Senate leadership to reconvene both bodies immediately after the installation of new members and aggressively advance a pro-growth/good government agenda for the citizens of Pennsylvania.

The problems facing Pennsylvania are so pressing that waiting weeks more to address them is a disservice to the taxpayers.

The Legislature’s commitment eight years ago to not return for Sine Die session in the fall has been important for all the right reasons.

Sine Die sessions have been outlawed in many states because of their lack of accountability since outgoing members do not have to answer to the voters. An interregnum session in January poses no such concern.

The governor has no formal role in the legislative process and has no authority to act until after a bill, passed by a legislature representing the people, is sent to his desk for signature.

Waiting for Gov.-elect Wolf to take office before addressing the pressing needs of our state would be unnecessary and, some might argue, irresponsible.

Rep. Mike Tobash, R-Schuylkill introduced a bill in the previous session that would shift some employees into a 401(k)-style system.

But any sweeping pension reform proposals are unlikely to go anywhere under Tom Wolf, who says the state’s previous reforms need time to work.

Top Police Union Official Says Christie Used “Bait and Switch” on Pensions

The New Jersey Police Benevolent Association is one of the dozen unions that filed a lawsuit against the state when Chris Christie opted to cut the state’s pension contributions by over $2 billion in 2014 and 2015.

And while lawyers are arguing the case in the courtroom, NJPBA president Patrick Culligan made his case in a letter to members this week, where he accused Christie of using a “bait and switch” to feign pension reform.

From the letter:

We are expecting that the Governor will propose significant further pension and healthcare reductions. We believe that the formal report of the Governor’s Pension Commission will be released very soon to support the Governor’s expected message today.

[…]

In the 2012 State of the State, Governor Christie proudly proclaimed ‘we saved their pensions’. He added; ‘Our pension system, which was on a path to insolvency, is now on much more sound footing. With your help, we tackled the problem head on.’ It was a success he shouted on the national stage for years after. He has repeatedly called Chapter 78 his crowning bipartisan achievement.

But his reflections on Chapter 78 mask his own deliberate acts to destroy pensions as we know them. I would like to remind everybody that in 2014 the Governor declared parts of his reforms ‘illegal’ in the State’s own legal briefs responding to our pension lawsuit. The former Federal Prosecutor, the attorney, the Governor who signed that law declared his obligation to make a pension payment to be ‘illegal’ and unenforceable. He also vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have required our additional contributions required by Chapter 78 to actually go back into PFRS where they belong. He has proven time and time again that he wants our system to fail.

This unfortunately is the kind of bait and switch we have come to expect from Governor Christie’s ‘promises’.

Read the full letter here.

Photo By Walter Burns [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Judge Hears More Arguments Thursday In Fight Over New Jersey Pension Payment Cuts

A Superior Court judge on Thursday will hear the latest round of arguments in the battle between New Jersey and public-employee unions.

The unions are suing the state after Chris Christie cut the state’s pension contribution by nearly $1.5 billion and used the money to over shortfalls in the general budget.

From NorthJersey.com:

If Judge Mary Jacobson rules against the Christie administration and orders the larger payment to be made, it could force the governor and lawmakers to come up with more than $1.5 billion in revenue midway through the state fiscal year or make new cuts.

The pension system is worth $80 billion and covers roughly 770,000 current and retired employees. But for years, governors, including Christie, have skipped or made only partial contributions into the system, leaving it funded at only 33 percent.

Unions that represent teachers, firefighters, state police and other public employees are arguing that a state law signed by Christie in 2011, which overhauled the pension system, also included a contractual obligation that the larger payment would be made.

Hetty Rosenstein, state director of the Communications Workers of America, one of the unions in the lawsuit, said the language in the 2011 legislation was framed specifically in response to prior court rulings on the pension funding issue.

“I think we’ve made a compelling case,” she said.

Administration attorneys have countered that the governor is required by the state constitution to maintain a balanced budget, giving him the authority to effectively ignore the law that calls for the larger payments if he needs the money to fulfill his constitutional responsibilities.

The pension reform law signed in 2011 mandated that New Jersey contribute a certain amount of money to the pension system each year.

But when the state faced a revenue shortfall of $1 billion in 2014, Christie made the decision to cut the state’s pension payment and use the money to fill the budget shortfall.

Photo credit: “New Jersey State House” by Marion Touvel – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:New_Jersey_State_House.jpg. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_Jersey_State_House.jpg#mediaviewer/File:New_Jersey_State_House.jpg

Top New Hampshire Lawmaker Forms Pension Reform Study Committee

New Hampshire House Speaker Shawn Jasper is forming a 14-person panel to study the state’s retirement system and potential reforms.

The committee was announced Wednesday. More from the Associated Press:

House Speaker Shawn Jasper is making pension reform a priority of the new legislative session by creating a 14-member committee to study the system that provides retirement benefits for public employees.

New Hampshire’s public pension system faces a $4.5 billion unfunded liability and Republicans want to reform the system. Jasper announced the committee Wednesday and appointed Rep. David Hess, a Hooksett Republican, as chairman.

The committee is made up of nine Republicans and five Democrats. The committee is tasked with studying how the program is funded, eligibility and ways to modify the system.

The state Supreme Court recently upheld changes made several years ago that increase the contribution rates for state employees.

The public pension system covers about 50,000 active and 30,000 retired workers.

The New Hampshire Retirement System was 66 percent funded at the end of fiscal year 2013-14. The system manages $7.41 billion in assets.

Photo credit: “Flag map of New Hampshire” by LGBT_flag_map_of_New_Hampshire.svg. This file was derived from:LGBT_flag_map_of_New_Hampshire.svgFlag_of_New_Hampshire.svg. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Video: Chris Christie Talks Pensions in “State of the State” Address

Chris Christie gave his “State of the State” address on Tuesday, and some observers thought he would use the platform to reveal specifics about the series of pension changes he is considering.

He didn’t, but he did speak generally about pensions for about 4 minutes. Watch the video above to hear the section of his speech dealing with pensions.

Thanks to John Bury of Bury Pensions for capturing the remarks.

Feature photo credit: Bob Jagendorf from Manalapan, NJ, USA (NJ Governor Chris Christie) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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