Loading Poll...Sept. 30 Conference to Explore NJ's Historic Pension Changes
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Financial experts gather at Rutgers-Newark to tackle threat to U.S. economic future
(NEWARK) – The historic changes made to New Jersey’s public employee pension and benefits system will be the focus of a September 30 forum sponsored by Rutgers University’s School of Public Affairs and Administration and the Hall Institute of Public Policy-New Jersey.
The forum, Has New Jersey Solved the Pension & Retirement Health Benefit Problem? What Was Actually Accomplished & What Is Facing Other Governments?, will take place at Rutgers’ Newark Campus in the Paul Robeson Campus Center (Multi-Purpose Room), 350 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. It will start at 9 a.m.
“Pension reform is not an issue relevant only to academics and accountants,” maintains Dr. Michael P. Riccards, Executive Director of the Hall Institute. “It affects the lives of tens of millions of Americans now and will affect many, many more in the future.”
Fiscal experts will explore the changes that were made, including the impacts on state and local government budgeting, employees and labor relations, retirement and health systems and credit ratings for the state and its jurisdictions, as well as the long range impact on the finances of the state.
In addition, speakers will review the New Jersey changes within the framework of what is happening in other states as viewed by the Pew Center of the States and Fitch Ratings Agency – as well as actions being considered in New York City as viewed by the Independent Budget Office of the City of New York.
Speakers will include:
- Susan Urahn, Managing Director, Pew Center on the States, The Pew Charitable Trusts
- Andrew P. Sidamon-Eristoff, Treasurer, State of New Jersey
- Dr. Ronnie Lowenstein, Director, Independent Budget Office for New York City
- Richard Raphael, Executive Managing Director, Fitch Ratings Agency
- Richard F. Keevey, Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers University-Newark
- Dr. P. Kelly Hatfield, Chair/CEO, Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC)
- Fred Beaver, Pension Services, Church Pension Group, and former Director, NJ Division of Pensions and Health Benefits
“No economic recovery or magic bullet will come close to solving the problem,” warns Richard F. Keevey of the Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration. “We need dramatic, structural and immediate changes.”
The Hall Institute has been following developments with the state’s public employee pension and benefits system for several years and has produced and posted a series of studies on the issue. View them here.
The Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration is a recognized educational leader in preparing managers and professionals for the government and nonprofit sectors.
The pension forum is the second collaboration between the Hall Institute and the Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration. The two organizations co-sponsored a conference on New Jersey’s gaming industries in March.
The September 30 pension conference is free and open to the public. To register, click here. For additional information, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
- Each day 11,000 Baby Boomers turn 65... by 2030, 1 in 5 Americans will be 65 years and older... with only two workers for every retiree.
- The estimated $1.26 trillion gap between public pension obligations and available funds is growing each year... mounting pension and health care costs could eventually bankrupt state and local governments.
- Attend the Sept. 30 Forum for Timely Answers and Action about New Jersey’s historic pension reforms and America’s economic security... free and open to the public!