Pension Crisis

As reported by NJ.com, Governor Christie said his last budget proposal that will be revealed later this month will include a pension payment that meets the promised contribution schedule.  To this end, Christie said the payment will be a $650 million increase over last.  At that time, Christie proposed a $1.86 billion payment to the declining government worker pension system that he ultimately approved in the final budget sent to him by lawmakers.

“Yeah,” Christie responded when “Ask the Governor” host Eric Scott asked whether this year’s budget would include the full scheduled payment for the year.  Christie is scheduled to give his final budget address on February 28.  “It is a challenge,” Christie said. He was referring to the ballooning pension payment weighed against the other spending priorities for the State.

The Governor said he’s “85 percent done” with the proposed budget and doesn’t “think they’ll be any bug surprises.”  But when Scott asked if pension and health benefit reform or school funding reform would work its way into the budget, Christie responded: “Could be. Stay tuned”

Last year, Christie announced he would contribute $1.86 billion into the pension system.  The proposed payment was the largest in New Jersey history, but also just 40 percent of what actuaries recommended. The Governor ultimately signed the $34.8 billion budget lawmakers sent him that closely resembled his original proposal, including the $1.86 billion pension payment.

Please continue to check this blog periodically to ascertain updates regarding the proposed pension payment.  As we know, the amount of the pension payment has spawned legal challenges in the past and has a direct impact upon all New Jersey Public Safety Officers.

Print:
Email this postTweet this postLike this postShare this post on LinkedIn
DONALD C. BARBATI, JR.

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues…

Donald C. Barbati is a shareholder of Crivelli, Barbati & DeRose, L.L.C. His primary practice revolves around the representation of numerous public employee labor unions in various capacities to include contract negotiation, unfair labor practice litigation, contract grievance arbitration, and other diverse issues litigated before the courts and administrative tribunals throughout the State of New Jersey. In addition, Mr. Barbati also routinely represents individuals in various types of public pension appeals, real estate transactions, and general litigation matters. He is a frequent contributor to the New Jersey Public Safety Officers Law Blog, a free legal publication designed to keep New Jersey public safety officers up-to-date and informed about legal issues pertinent to their profession. During his years of practice, Mr. Barbati has established a reputation for achieving favorable results for his clients in a cost-efficient manner.

Mr. Barbati has also handled numerous novel legal issues while representing New Jersey Public Safety Officers. Most notably, he served as lead counsel for the Appellants in the published case In re Rodriguez, 423 N.J. Super. 440 (App. Div. 2011). In that case, Mr. Barbati successfully argued on behalf of the Appellants, thereby overturning the Attorney General’s denial of counsel to two prison guards in a civil rights suit arising from an inmate assault.  In the process, the Court clarified the standard to be utilized by the Attorney General in assessing whether a public employee is entitled to legal representation and mandated that reliance must be placed on up-to-date information.

Prior to becoming a practicing attorney, Mr. Barbati served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Linda R. Feinberg, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer Vicinage. During his clerkship Mr. Barbati handled numerous complex and novel substantive and procedural issues arising from complaints in lieu of prerogative writs, orders to show cause, and motion practice. These include appeals from decisions by planning and zoning boards and local government bodies, bidding challenges under the Local Public Contract Law, Open Public Records Act requests, the taking of private property under the eminent domain statute, and election law disputes. In addition, Mr. Barbati, as a certified mediator, mediated many small claims disputes in the Special Civil Part.

Mr. Barbati received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, magna cum laude, from Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Upon graduating, Mr. Barbati attended Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware. In 2007, he received his juris doctorate, magna cum laude, graduating in the top five percent of his class. During law school, Mr. Barbati interned for the Honorable Joseph E. Irenas, Senior United States District Court Judge for the District of New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey, assisting on various constitutional, employment, and Third Circuit Court of Appeals litigation, including numerous civil rights, social security, and immigration cases.