OPRI News

The Oregonian: Oregon PERS – Lawmakers successfully stanch pension cost increases but leave system’s funded status at risk

By OPRI / August 3, 2020

Oregon lawmakers have successfully, if perhaps temporarily, halted the steady upward trajectory of public pension costs for government employers, according to a preliminary analysis of pension contribution rates that will kick in a year from now. That’s good news for public employers around the state struggling with revenue declines amid an economic recession, and increased service needs…

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Meet the Board: Helga Thompson

By OPRI / June 25, 2020

Helga Thompson dedicated her career to educating children. Now, as an OPRI Board member, she dedicates time to protecting retirement benefits for teachers like herself. Born in West Germany, Helga’s family immigrated to the U.S. when she was six years old. Helga describes her life growing up as calm and quiet, her father working in…

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How to stay safe as Oregon reopens during the pandemic

By OPRI / June 10, 2020

It’s been 10 weeks since Governor Brown issued the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order that resulted from our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Oregonians made many sacrifices to stay home as much as possible in order to slow the spread of the virus. Now, as Stay Home orders begin to lift across Oregon, many…

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The Oregonian: Coronavirus market chaos slashes Oregon PERS investments by billions

By OPRI / March 18, 2020

Coronavirus market chaos slashes Oregon PERS investments by billions – oregonlive.com The coronavirus market contagion has cleaved billions of dollars off the value of Oregon’s public pension fund investments and significantly increased the system’s unfunded liabilities. Continue reading story on The Oregonian

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The Oregonian: Oregon pension reforms lower costs, but stretch agency thin

By OPRI / February 3, 2020

Schools, municipalities and public employers across Oregon will get a reprieve from the relentless increases in employee pension costs they’ve been facing since the 2008 financial crisis. Continue reading story on The Oregonian

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OPRI Surveys Membership

By OPRI / January 17, 2020

Each year, OPRI conducts a membership survey to better understand member perspectives on PERS reform and make sure we are accurately representing the views of our members in the Legislature. Below are the results of this year’s survey. 1. Do you believe that Oregon’s Public Employee Retirement System has become a financial crisis for state…

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PERS ballot initiatives withdrawn for 2020 election

By OPRI / December 5, 2019

The five potential ballot measures filed earlier this year have been withdrawn.

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Lawsuit alleges new PERS reform law unconstitutional

By OPRI / October 23, 2019

In August, nine public employee union members filed a lawsuit with the Oregon Supreme Court challenging Senate Bill 1049, stating that it unconstitutionally reduces pension benefits. Senate Bill 1049 was signed into law in June after narrowly passing the both the Senate and the House with the bare minimum of votes necessary in both chambers.…

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Benefits Remain Safe for Current Retirees

By OPRI / August 28, 2019

2019 Legislative Session Update: In the face of recent PERS reform legislation, current retirees can rest easy that their benefits will not be impacted by the passage of Senate Bill 1049. Senate Bill 1049 entered the spotlight during the 2019 legislative session in an effort to address the rising cost of the public employee pension…

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Lawsuit Questions Legality of New PERS Reform Law

By OPRI / August 27, 2019

Nine public employees filed a lawsuit earlier this month with the Oregon Supreme Court challenging the new law requiring public employees to help pay down the public pension debt. The lawsuit states that Senate Bill 1049 – which was passed by the legislature and signed into law by the Governor – unconstitutionally reduces pension benefits.…

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