As reported by NJ.com, lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to send Governor Chris Christie a bill that will require the State to make quarterly payments to New Jersey’s ailing public worker system. The proposal, which cleared the Senate by a 35-0 vote and the Assembly 72-0, is a reworked version of similar legislation Christie twice vetoed.
NJ Pension Crisis
Another Pension Bill Sits on Christie’s Desk–What Will He Do This Time?
As reported by JT Aregood from the New Jersey Observer, just months after Senate President Steve Sweeney declined to post a bill that would have effected the change with a voter-approved constitutional amendment, Democratic lawmakers in New Jersey passed a plan to require the state to make payments into its underfunded public pension system …
New Bloomberg Report Casts Dim Light on NJ’s Pension System
As reported by N.J.com, New Jersey’s distressed government worker pension system is now the worst funded in the U.S., according to a report by Bloomberg.
The Garden State’s public pension fund has languished near the bottom, but has now dropped below Kentucky and Illinois for last place, according to the report.
Their analysis compared…
State Pension Guarantee Dead For November Ballot
As reported by NJ.com, Senate President Stephen Sweeney rejected calling for a crucial vote Monday on a referendum asking voters to constitutionally guarantee state payments into the government worker pension fund, killing its chances of appearing on the November ballot and disappointing public labor unions. The likelihood that Sweeney, once the prime champion of…
Deadline For NJ Senate To Take Action On Public Worker Pension Amendment
As reported by NJ.com, Senate leaders have spent weeks trying to build a supermajority to override Governor Chris Christie’s opposition to a Transportation Trust Fund tax package, a plan that also holds the fate of a voter referendum on public worker pensions. And for the last week, they’ve said they’re within a vote or…
N.J. To Slash Pension Investments In Hedge Funds That Were Criticized By Unions
As reported by nj.com, the State Investment Council on Wednesday agreed to slash New Jersey’s investments of public-sector pension dollars in hedge funds by more than half, responding to labor union concerns that the alternative investments are not paying off.
At the council’s last meeting in May, union representatives called for drastic reduction in…
Panel Assembles in Philadelphia to Discuss Possible Solutions to Nationwide Public Employment Pension Crisis
On Tuesday, various state officials gathered just a few blocks from the Democratic National Convention to discuss the pension problems being faced by states across the country. Among the panelists was New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester). Read about some of the interesting solutions proposed at: http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/16/07/26/how-can-new-jersey-other-states-rescue-underfunded-pension-systems/
NJ Republican Seeks to Reduce Government Health Care Costs in Exchange for Constitutional Amendment “Obligating” State Pension Payment
While Chapter 78 increased the average healthcare contributions required of public employees based upon a sliding percentage of the cost of coverage, if Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon’s proposal is implemented, public workers can expect to pay higher out-of-pocket costs toward coverage provided under a lower-level plan. In exchange, the Assemblyman’s plan provides for a constitutional…
Moody’s Comments on Various NJ Pension Issues
As reported by NJ.com, Moody’s Investors Service again sent up a warning flare that a possible New Jersey Supreme Court ruling striking down cuts to public retirees’ pension benefits would soak the struggling retirement system with new pension liabilities. But in its latest report released on the “extraordinary decisions and challenges” the Garden State…
NJ Lawmakers Clash Over Forcing Bigger Pension Payments
As reported by NJ.com, State Senate President Stephen Sweeney and labor leaders defended Sweeney’s proposal to constitutionally enforce payments into the public pension system against arguments it’s a gift to special interests that will shackle New Jersey’s finances. The scrap between Sweeney and labor leaders versus Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. and business…