Preliminary Draft: Louisiana TRSL Pension Solvency Analysis Read more at Reason.org
Pension Obligation Bondholders Take a Hit in Puerto Rico
The federal board overseeing Puerto Rico’s finances has invalidated the commonwealth’s pension obligation bonds on constitutional grounds and is now suing large bondholders to recoup previously paid principal and interest. Pensions & Investments reported: Puerto Rico’s oversight board is preparing …
How Silicon Valley Can Help Solve State Government’s Technology Woes
Problems caused by a state financial system upgrade are jeopardizing California’s ability to publish timely and accurate financial statements. Troubles with the Fiscal Information System for California (FI$Cal), the state’s single financial management system, are the latest technology problem to …
California’s High-Speed Rail Plan Gets Better, But Is Still Flawed And Too Expensive
Gov. Gavin Newsom has correctly called for rightsizing California’s high-speed rail project. While the state’s latest rail plan offers a step in that direction and is more realistic than previous updates, it is still flawed and requires further improvement. By …
New Jersey Senate President Rolls Out Important Path to Pension Reform Progress
New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney just released a package of bills that look to improve many of the state’s ongoing fiscal problems. As the centerpiece of these reforms, the proposed bills—coined as the “Path to Progress”—intend to fix New …
High Prescription Drug Prices Hit Pension Plans, Hurt State and Local Taxpayers
While high prescription drugs costs are most often seen as a problem for individual consumers or the federal Medicare program, they also significantly impact state and local governments. Reining in these costs could benefit local and state agencies struggling to …
Study: State Pensions Are Badly Trailing Their Own Investment Return Assumptions
A recent study by investment advisory firm Cliffwater LLC highlights the costly pitfalls of the overly optimistic rate of return assumptions and associated investment risks borne by public pension plans. Per the agency’s findings, from 2000 to 2018 state pensions …
Warren Buffett: Avoid States With Large Unfunded Pension Liabilities
If you have ever wondered if public pension underfunding is relevant and plan on moving states, Warren Buffett has something to share with you: “If I were relocating into some state that had a huge unfunded pension plan I’m walking …
Setting the Record Straight on School Choice, Charter and Private Schools
When it comes to the educational choices families make, the nation’s largest teachers union can’t get its facts straight. Mythology propagated by the National Education Association (NEA), along with others, needs to be set straight. “Diverting funds to private schools …
Will Democracy Endure Private School Choice? The Effect of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program on Adult Voting Behavior
The Journal of Private Enterprise Summer 2019 ISSN 0890-913X Volume 34, Number 3 Corey A. DeAngelis and Patrick J. Wolf Abstract Do students who experience school choice grow up to be more engaged members of civil society? Looking at voting …
Study: Private Schools Produce the Same Academic Outcomes For a Third of the Cost of Public Schools
School choice opponents frequently claim the Washington, D.C., school voucher program is a failure. But I have a hunch that’s going to change pretty soon. The previous federal evaluation of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program found negative effects on math test scores and no …
New Mexico Takes Steps to Reform Teacher Pensions, But More Is Needed
In April, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill that, among other things, grants the New Mexico Educational Retirement Board (NMERB) a permanent contribution boost and changes the benefit accrual formula for active employees. While commendable, these positive …
