Author Archives: Will Brownsberger

During my recent re-election campaign, I made public employee benefit reform a high priority and, having been reappointed to the public service committee, I’ll be working hard on the issue. Ongoing input will be much appreciated.

Section links are to a proposal for simplification of the pension system (which has been filed as House 2930). House 35 is the Governor’s pension reform proposal. Investment Risk — the possibility that earnings on invested funds will be insufficient to cover costs of future benefits.  Many analysts believe that the earnings available to dollar …

Continue reading “Pension Issues Inventory”

An Act to make the public pension system simpler and fairer, to provide better income security to lower wage state employees and to protect future taxpayers from unanticipated pension costs (HD 01392) Summary: This bill creates a new pension plan for new public employees designed to improve the income security of lower state employees by …

Continue reading “Simplified Pension System Proposal”

In discussing changes to public employee benefits, a critical question is which groups of employees they should be applied to. There is no legal or moral limit to changes for new employees. It would be both illegal and immoral in most instances to make big changes to benefits of those already retired. For the cases …

Continue reading “Case Law on Changes to Benefits”