Project News
-
- Press Release
- States' Fiscal Health
Pew Report: How Residents in Five States View Fiscal Priorities for State Government
Residents across five diverse, fiscally stressed states have similar priorities for state government, but their preferences clash with budget reality, according to a report released by the Pew Center on the States and the Public Policy Institute of California. more
-
- Press Release
- States' Fiscal Health
Pew Identifies States, Like California, in Fiscal Peril
A report from the Pew Center on the States shows that some of the same pressures that have pushed California toward economic disaster are wreaking havoc in a number of other states, with potentially damaging consequences for the entire country. more
Media Coverage
-
- Media Coverage
- States' Fiscal Health
Debt Ceiling Uncertainty Puts States at Risk
The federal debt ceiling debate is already complicating life for state and local governments. more
-
- Media Coverage
- States' Fiscal Health
States Want More in Pension Contributions
First came the pay freezes and unpaid furloughs. Then came the higher contributions for health insurance. Now, in the most definitive sign yet that the era of generous compensation for public-sector employees is ending, workers in more than half the states face the prospect of paying more of their salary toward their pensions. more
-
- Media Coverage
- States' Fiscal Health
How Bad Is the Pension Problem?
Well-publicized crises in Illinois and New Jersey may have given public systems a bad reputation, but in reality, the vast majority of state and local government programs are not on the verge of collapse. "The public pension community is not in a state of crisis," says Keith Brainard, research director at the National Association of State Retirement Administrators. "Some plans face larger challenges than others, but it varies by plan."
more -
- Media Coverage
- States' Fiscal Health
Report: Savings Gap for Pensions Growing
The gap between promises states made for employees’ retirement benefits and the money they set aside to pay for them is widening, according to an April report by The Pew Center on the States. more
-
- Media Coverage
- States' Fiscal Health
U.S. States Pension Fund Deficits Widen by 26%, Pew Center Study Says
U.S. states’ deficits in their employee retirement systems widened by 26 percent in fiscal 2009 as governments were stung by investment losses and failed to pay enough into their pension funds, a study found. more
-
- Media Coverage
- States' Fiscal Health
States Face $1.26 Trillion Shortfall in Funds to Pay Retiree Benefits
The state funds that pay pension and health-care benefits to retired teachers, corrections officers and millions of other public workers faced a cumulative shortfall of at least $1.26 trillion at the end of fiscal 2009, according to a new report. more
-
- Media Coverage
- States' Fiscal Health
State Pension Plans Lose Ground
The funding gaps at some state pension plans widened in fiscal 2010, though strong investment returns prevented the situation from deteriorating even more, according to a new study by the Pew Center on the States. more
-
- Media Coverage
- States' Fiscal Health
Are Public Sector Pensions Broken?
Government workers worried about retirement should take steps to protect themselves. The battles in Wisconsin and Ohio between public employees who have guaranteed, often inflation-indexed pensions and taxpayers who lack such generous and dependable retirement benefits could soon boil over into other states.
more -
- Media Coverage
- States' Fiscal Health
A Perfect Pension Storm
Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman delivered a timely reminder to Illinois politicians that the state's budget woes cannot be solved simply through higher taxation. In a letter to Gov. Pat Quinn, Oberhelman hinted that Caterpillar, an employer of some 23,000 in the state, would consider relocating in response to new burdens from Springfield. more
-
- Media Coverage
- States' Fiscal Health
Arkansas' Public Pensions Show Signs of Improvement
Even though some government pension plans across the country are still struggling, Arkansas' two major pension funds are showing signs of improvement after suffering millions of dollars in investment losses in 2008 and 2009. For the fiscal year that ended June 30, the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System reported market value assets of $9.884 billion, which was up $1.037 billion from the prior year.
more
