Pensions

• Gambling Veto Could Set Up Post-Election Horse Trading on Illinois Pensions
• Source: Chicago Tribune   |   Illinois   |   August 29, 2012
• Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed a major gambling expansion, setting up a post-election session in which new casinos could be tied to reforms of the state's out-of-whack government worker retirement system.

• Cops, Cutbacks and Crime
• BY: Mark Funkhouser   |   August 29, 2012
• It’s clear that more police, strategically deployed, reduce crime. Cities that are cutting their police forces are risking more than public safety.
• 2 Comments

• North Carolina Pension Fund's Facebook Investment Raises Concerns
• BY: McClatchy News   |   North Carolina   |   August 27, 2012
• The state reported losing $4.1 million on its $26 million investment in the social networking company's initial public offering in May, but the actual damage could be much larger.

• Performance Pay Comes to College Campuses
• BY: Stateline   |   Texas   |   August 27, 2012
• While it’s unclear how many public universities use a similar system, a survey this year by executive compensation consultants Yaffe & Company suggests that just over one-third of presidents at private universities have some of their pay tied to performance.
• 1 Comments

• Indianapolis OKs Domestic Partner Benefits for Public Workers
• Source: Indianapolis Star   |   Indianapolis   |   August 24, 2012
• Gay-rights advocates see a symbolic milestone in Indianapolis joining the roster of about 200 municipalities nationally that already offer such benefits.

• California's Park Scandal Prompted by Accumulated State Worker Leave
• Source: Sacramento Bee   |   California   |   August 21, 2012
• What started as a quiet scheme to draw down excessive leave hours built up by state parks managers quickly spread, first to hardship cases and then to the rank and file, according to recently released state investigative documents.

• Illinois Lawmakers Fail to Agree on Pension Reform
• Source: Chicago Tribune   |   Illinois   |   August 20, 2012
• Democrats and Republicans alike put the blame on what one leader called Gov. Pat Quinn's "catastrophic failure" of leadership.

• New Pension Rules Expose Bigger Funding Gaps
• Source: Washington Post   |   Nation   |   August 17, 2012
• Already-strapped state and local governments are coming under increasing pressure to reduce pension benefits or increase taxpayer contributions that help pay for them because of new rules that would require them to report those obligations more honestly, advocates say.

• Boston Mayor Requests State's Help on Teacher Talks
• Source: Boston Globe   |   Boston   |   August 17, 2012
• In a rare move, a frustrated Mayor Thomas M. Menino asked state labor ­officials to investigate the more than two-year stalemate over a new teacher contract and to recommend a resolution.

• Pension Loophole for Ex-Illinois Lawmakers Closed
• Source: Chicago Tribune   |   Illinois   |   August 17, 2012
• Former lawmakers will cost the state less money when they fatten their state pensions with short-time lucrative jobs with cities, counties and other local governments under a law Gov. Pat Quinn signed.

• New Mexico Gov. Posts Public Workers' Names and Salaries Online, Again
• BY: McClatchy News   |   New Mexico   |   August 16, 2012
• Gov. Susana Martinez has decided to post the names and salaries of classified state employees in a new place after a judge ruled last month that Martinez must remove those workers' names from the New Mexico Sunshine Portal.
• 2 Comments

• Virginia to Use Surplus to Give Bonuses to State Workers
• Source: Washington Post   |   Virginia   |   August 16, 2012
• Virginia finished its fiscal year June 30 with a $448.5 million surplus through a combination of higher-than-projected revenues and agency cost-cutting, putting the state far enough into the black to give a 3 percent bonus to state workers who have not had a pay raise in five years.
• 1 Comments

• Are State Pension Funds Paying Wall Street Too Much?
• BY: Mike Maciag   |   August 15, 2012
• A report suggests pension funds pay too much in fees for paltry returns. See how much each state pays Wall Street.
• 8 Comments

• Feds Order Georgia to Pay Unemployment to Some School Employees
• Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution   |   Georgia   |   August 14, 2012
• Thousands of Georgia bus drivers, cafeteria workers and private school teachers, who this year were denied usual summertime unemployment checks, may get that money after all.

• Looming Pension Reform Leads to Rush to Retire in Illinois
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Illinois   |   August 13, 2012
• During the 12-month period ending June 30, nearly 4,750 rank-and-file state employees retired. That's almost as many as the prior two years combined.