State Pensions Track: Legislators' Guide to Public

Pensions

NCSL 2010 Legislative Summit: Tuesday, July 27

Time: 01:18:58

Moderator
Representative Juan Zapata, Florida, chair, NCSL Labor and Economic Development Committee

Speakers
Cynthia L. Moore, former Washington, D.C., counsel, National Council on Teacher Retirement, Florida
Keith Brainard, research director, National Association of State Retirement Administrators
Aristotle Hutras, director, Ohio Retirement Study Council
 

Overview

This session is a general introduction to legislators’ power and responsibilities in the design and oversight of state retirement policy. One focus will be the complicated question of state governments’ ability to reduce the benefits promised to current employees and retired people. Other questions under scrutiny here are the legislative process of decision making on retirement policy, and the role that a state pension study commission can play in ensuring that policy makers are well informed on the long-term implications of their proposals and decisions.