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NEWS: Oct. 7, 2016 Public Pensions | The Nation Report: States' Pension Gap Heading for $1.7 Trillion State-run pension systems for retired public workers across the country were underfunded by $1.2 trillion last year and are expected to be in even worse shape in the years ahead, according to a new report from Moody's Investors Service. The credit-rating agency said it expects the gap to hit $1.7 trillion with the next round of state audits, largely because investment returns have been far below expectations. >> AP/ABC News Dallas's Bond Rating Takes a Hit over Pension Problems Amid concerns over Dallas's failing police and fire pension fund, Fitch Ratings lowered its rating on the city's $1.7 billion in outstanding debt to AA from AA+ and changed its outlook from stable to negative. >> Dallas Morning News
OPM Gains a Lot of Ground on Feds' Retirement Claims The Office of Personnel Management engineered a sharp upturn in federal workers' retirement claims processed last month. September saw 6,946 new claims, an increase of only 128 from August, while OPM processed 8,134 claims, 35 percent more than in August. >> Federal News Radio Pennsylvania Turnpike Whistleblower Wins $3 Million A judge has ordered the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to pay a former worker more than $3 million after finding he was wrongly fired in 2008 in retaliation for blowing the whistle on agency practices. >> AP/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rule Would Exempt Some Feds from Financial Disclosure Non-managers in federal General Schedule-13 positions and below or equivalent jobs would be exempt from submitting personal financial data under a proposed Office of Government Ethics rule. >> Government Executive
Ex-Aide Recants Texts Saying Christie Lied About Lane Closures The former aide to Gov. Chris Christie who twice wrote text messages saying Christie had lied about his staff's involvement in the George Washington Bridge lane closures during a Dec. 13, 2013, press conference took back her "poor choice of words" in testimony Thursday. Christina Renna said in court that she had "no knowledge" of what the governor knew. >> The Record of Bergen County, NJ.com Higher Education | Northridge, Calif. Fired Creationist Laboratory Manager Wins $399,000 Settlement from University California State University at Northridge has settled a lawsuit brought by Mark Armitage, a former microscopy laboratory manager who said he was fired for sharing news of an archaeological discovery that supported his young-Earth creationist beliefs. The university says it settled for $399,500 to avoid a protracted legal battle. >> Inside Higher Ed Iowa State President Apologizes for Personal Aircraft Use Iowa State University President Steven Leath said he "regrets" his use of university-owned aircraft for both personal and business use--causing $12,000 in damage to one of the aircraft in a hard landing--because of "the negative image to the university." >> Iowa State Daily
IG: Defense Chief's Top Aide Used Government Charge Card at Strip Clubs Army Maj. Gen. Ronald Lewis, the former senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Ash Carter whom Carter dismissed last November, abused his government travel charge card at strip clubs in Italy and South Korea, lied about it and behaved inappropriately with female subordinates, according to a Defense Department inspector general's investigation. >> Government Executive, Reuters 8 Charged with Stealing Army Gear to Sell on eBay Six soldiers stationed at Fort Campbell and two civilians were indicted on charges that they conspired to steal and sell Army equipment--from printer ink to machine-gun parts and the sight for a grenade launcher--on eBay, a federal prosecutor announced. >> Nashville Tennessean 44 Afghan Troops Training in U.S. Have Disappeared Forty-four Afghan troops visiting the United States for military training have gone missing in less than two years, presumably in an effort to live and work illegally in America, Pentagon officials said. >> Reuters Corrections | Arizona Justice Department Investigating Men's Prisons The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating violence, rape, overcrowding and other problems within Alabama's men's prisons. Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn said the department would provide the investigators with the time and resources they need. >> AL.com, Montgomery Advertiser >> Follow GovManagement on Twitter >> Share this edition:
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DATAPOINT At least 27 Number of cities across the country that will be recognizing the history and contributions of Native Americans by celebrating Indigenous People's Day on Monday, instead of or in addition to state, federal and local government observances of Columbus Day >> Arizona Republic | More data
“How stupid must you be to say that greenhouse gas is not a pollutant? We pushed back and pushed back and we terminated them.” Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, appearing with the state's current governor, Jerry Brown, and other supporters of Assembly Bill 32, the landmark law establishing California's greenhouse-gas emissions-reduction targets that Schwarzenegger signed a decade ago, and using the occasion to blast fellow Republicans who challenged the law as well as the oil companies that mounted an unsuccessful 2010 initiative to overturn it >> Sacramento Bee | More quotes VIEWPOINT Higher Education | Brendan Cantwell Who Really Is 'Starving the Beast'? A new documentary, "Starving the Beast," argues that a network of right-wing think tanks and educational reformers is undermining America's great public universities. It suggests that the universities may die from a thousand cuts unless policymakers change course. My experience as a higher-education policy researcher leads me to share many of documentarian Steve Mims' concerns. However, my research also shows that more than a right-wing conspiracy is to blame. We should be asking tough questions of ourselves, our neighbors and our university officials. >> The Conversation | More commentaries UPCOMING EVENTS
American Enterprise Institute Book discussion with Kevin Chavous: "Building a Learning Culture in America" Oct. 11, 10-11 a.m. ET, Washington, D.C. U.S. Office of Personnel Management Webinar: "Prioritizing Inclusivity to Build Engagement" Oct. 11, 11 a.m. ET Engaging Local Government Leaders Webinar: "Local Governments and Local and Regional Food Economies" Oct. 11, noon ET Government Technology Webinar: "When a Comment Becomes a Crisis: What to Do When Going Viral Happens to You" Oct. 11, 2 p.m. ET Heritage Foundation Book event: "Shall Not Be Infringed: The New Assaults on Your Second Amendment" Oct. 12, noon-1 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. >> Full events listings |
