OPRI News

Editorial: Gov. Brown must ensure teachers’ vaccines lead to schools reopening

By OPRI / February 3, 2021

By The Oregonian Editorial Board Gov. Kate Brown defended her decision to prioritize teachers for the COVID-19 vaccine as one of the tough calls she’s had to make amid a vaccine shortage. Reopening schools is paramount and necessitates immunizing educators, she said, pointing out the many shortcomings of remote learning, the social isolation students are experiencing…

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OPRI Introduces House Bill 2867 for Income Tax Remedy Payment Fix

By OPRI / January 20, 2021

OPRI is focused on protecting the hard-earned benefits of PERS retirees during the 2021 Legislative Session with the introduction of a bill that would more quickly reinstate Tax Remedy Payments for retirees who are either unable to timely confirm their Oregon residency or who establish Oregon residency during the year. HB 2867 is introduced by…

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Meet the Board: Deanna Woods

By OPRI / November 30, 2020

When Deanna Woods retired, she wondered what she would do with her time. But filling her time has not been a problem. The newest OPRI Board member shares that the key is to keep learning and to do something that makes a difference. Throughout her career, Deanna served in the Portland Public Schools, where she…

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Oregon Supreme Court denies challenge to legislative changes to PERS benefits

By OPRI / August 17, 2020

On August 6, 2020, the Oregon Supreme Court denied the challenge brought forward by public employee unions regarding pension benefit reductions which passed during the 2019 Legislative Session through Senate Bill 1049. The lawsuit alleged that SB 1049 was unconstitutional and sought to overturn provisions of the law. Here is a look back at the…

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The Oregonian: Oregon PERS: Oregon Supreme Court upholds lawmakers changes to public pension benefits

By OPRI / August 6, 2020

The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the reductions in public employee pension benefits that the Legislature passed in 2019 to help address the state’s burgeoning pension funding deficit and rein in the escalating pension costs and resulting budget problems for public employers. Read the full story on The Oregonian

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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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