Rhode Island Plan Enacts New Approach to States' Pension Woes

Article Read time:
Projects: State Fiscal Health
Rhode Island Plan Enacts New Approach to States' Pension Woes

Faced with rising pension costs, Rhode Island passed a set of reforms to its public sector retirement system that go further than what any other state has done. The bill is unprecedented, both in terms of the employees it will affect and the scope and scale of changes to their benefits.

Advocates of the reforms claimed they are needed to curb expanding costs that, left unaddressed, could have had severe impacts on state finances and taxpayers. Opponents, including unions, claimed the measures went too far and put workers’ retirement security at risk.

Downloads Issue Brief: Rhode Island Plan Enacts New Approach to States’ Pension Woes
Downloads Issue Brief: Rhode Island Plan Enacts New Approach to States’ Pension Woes
America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
MEDIA CONTAct
Catherine An Senior Officer, Communications 202.552.2088
RELATED
Topics
Fiscal & Economic Policy
Projects
State Fiscal Health
Places
Rhode Island

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

An illustration of a couple holding hands walking away from an outline of houses behind them

Podcast

March 22, 2024 Pathways to Homeownership: Housing in America
Under a brilliant blue sky, large chunks of glacial ice float in dark waters, framed by a glacier-topped rock wall in the background.

Article

February 21, 2024 A New Beginning for Chile's Protected Areas
A close-up of four microphones, two each being held by two hands. The mics are directed toward a person, visible only from the chest down to the thighs, standing near a podium, wearing a blue shirt, grey slacks, and a burgundy tie. Two other microphones are also visible at the left of the image. Five State Fiscal Debates to Watch in 2024

MORE FROM PEW

An aerial view of a vast wetland, with scattered vegetation visible on sandy islands. In Western Australia, a Conservation Model for the World
A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.” WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water. Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.