NCPERS News Clips

October 15, 2013

News Clips for October 15th, 2013

National News

• Here Come the Three Horsemen of the Retirement Apocalypse
  Coming soon: means testing, mandatory savings, longevity insurance
• Head Start Gets $10M to Stay Open From Texas Billionaires
  While the government shutdown has left federal employees without jobs and Americans with a cut in services, a controversial couple has donated $10 million to allow more than 7,000 at-risk children to return to their Head Start classrooms.
• Cities Report Better Finances, but Worries Persist
  Fiscal conditions are slowly improving for American cities, aided by increases in sales tax and income tax revenue, but rapidly rising pension and health costs for city workers continue to pose a potentially crippling threat, according to an annual study released Thursday by the National League of Cities.

State News

• San Jose, San Bernardino to announce pension-reform plan soon
  (California) The pension-reform plan that San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris praised in his State of the City speech will be unveiled “in a few days,” says its primary backer, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed.
• Is Detroit eligible for bankruptcy? Here are the 5 questions judge will consider before deciding
  U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes will make the crucial call on whether the city is officially eligible for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection after a series of court hearings starting Tuesday.
• Lawsuit filed over cost-of-living change to Montana Teachers' Retirement System
  Six current and retired educators and the MEA-MFT union filed a lawsuit Friday challenging part of a new law that will lower annual cost-of-living raises for retired teachers from 1.5 percent to 0.5 percent on Jan. 1.
• Kitzhaber Signs Special Session Bills, Unions Plan Challenge
  Five bills approved by Oregon lawmakers during a special session last week are now law. Gov. John Kitzhaber signed the legislation Tuesday. But the future of one of those measures is in doubt.

Canadian News

• Pension Funds, Unions, and Working Class Strategies - session 1:
  From Pension Fund Socialism to Pension Fund Capitalism?

Opinion

• Can Issue 4 solve Cincinnati's pension problem? No
  Measure will lead city into a never-ending labyrinth of financial and legal conundrums and roadblocks start
• The myths behind public-employee pension reform
  Since the once-great city of Detroit filed for bankruptcy, Americans everywhere are in a panic. Is my city next? Is my state facing financial disaster? From Wisconsin's controversial Gov. Scott Walker to New Jersey's Chris Christie, politicians all over seem to be telling us the answer is yes.