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Center for State and Local Government Excellence Maps Out Public Pension Changes

Excerpt: The group has created an interactive map showing a sample of state and local governments that have negotiated changes in pension plans.

Automatic Enrollment and Automatic Escalation in State and Local Government Defined Contribution Plans (PDF)

"While the number of governments adopting automatic enrollment or automatic escalation continue to slowly grow, resistance or indifference also persist ... [T]his report considers the current environment for automatic enrollment and automatic escalation and explores their success over time by revisiting case studies from previous reports as well as examining two governments that have more recently adopted them."

The State and Local Government Workforce: 2013 Trends (PDF)

"Twenty-two percent of retirement-eligible employees accelerated their retirement date in 2013, the same as 2012. The number of governments making changes to health and retirement benefits remains high, with 56 percent modifying health benefits in 2013 and 44 percent making changes to retirement plans. The change most often cited was to shift more health care costs from the employer to employee (reported 52 percent of governments that made changes). Twenty-eight percent of governments that made changes created wellness programs."

State and Local Government Workforce: 2012 Trends (PDF)

"[Workforce changes in] the area of health care: [1] Shifted more health care costs to employees (51 percent, down from 72 percent last year); [2] Shifted more health care costs to retirees (11 percent, down from 23 percent); [3] Created wellness programs (26 percent, down from 33 percent). In the area of pensions: [1] Raised employee contributions to pension plans for current workers (24 percent, up from 22 percent last year); [2] Increased employee contributions for new hires (27 percent, up from 23 percent last year)."

2012 Retirement Confidence Survey of the State and Local Government Workforce

"Only 16 percent of teachers and 25 percent of police and firefighters are very confident they are saving the right amount for retirement. A full 57 percent of public sector workers expect to work longer than they would like 72 percent expect to work for pay after retiring. Only 22 percent are very confident that they will have enough money to take care of medical expenses during retirement. Two-thirds are not confident that Medicare will continue to provide benefits of equal value to those provided today."

The Primary and Supplemental Retirement Plans of State and Local Governments (PDF)

12 presentation slides. Excerpt: "86% of state workers have access to a defined benefit pension plan; 43% have access to a defined contribution plan (2014). 82% of local workers have access to a defined benefit pension plan; 30% have access to a defined contribution plan (2014).... About 30% of state and local workers do not participate in Social Security."

2016 Retirement Confidence Survey of the State and Local Government Workforce (PDF)

25 pages. "One-third of public sector employees have been with their current employer for less than 10 years, and one-third for 20 years or longer.... Health insurance, retirement benefits, job security and salary are the most important job elements they would consider in deciding whether to switch employers. The vast majority are covered by a primary defined benefit pension plan; almost 20 percent of these workers reported changes to these benefits over the past two years. Two-thirds expect to receive retiree healthcare benefits from an employer when they retire; among these, one-quarter reported changes to their benefits over the past two years."

Financial Literacy Programs for Local Government Employees (PDF)

27 pages. "[This report] combines: [1] Background on the local government workforce; [2] A review of the literature on what is known about financial literacy; [3] Data from a survey of elected officials and human resources directors from local governments across the United States; [4] Insights gained from discussions with city managers and budget officers; [5] Recommendations for practitioners, focusing on program topic and mode, tailoring programs to diverse groups ... and assessing results."

Understanding Finances and Changes in State and Local Government Retiree Health Care (PDF)

"Governments need to understand what has been done so far to address OPEB liabilities, and assess whether these efforts are enough to put the provision of retiree health care on a more sustainable path."

Using Automatic Enrollment in Local Government Retirement Plans to Increase Savings (PDF)

"The study found four main reasons local governments been slow to adopt automatic enrollment practices: ...[1] In a few places, an exemption to anti-garnishment laws has been written into statute for a particular retirement system or plan. [2] Government leaders worry that automatic enrollment in a supplemental savings plan might overburden their employees, especially those who earn modest wages. [3] There is debate in the labor community about whether or not automatic enrollment should be supported. [4] Administrative challenges, such as multiple record keepers."