State Pension Reform in 2010 and 2011

By Ron Snell

April 2011

Efforts to solve the funding problems of state retirement plans produced a record amount of state legislation in 2010 that may turn out to be a prelude to an even more legislation in 2011. In 2010, 21 states enacted changes in their public pension plans, ranging from restricting the ability of retired people to return to a job covered by a public pension to completely restructuring plans. The changes reflected some recent developments, particularly the financial losses the Great Recession imposed on trust funds, but longer-term issues were in the mix as well.