TRA Pension Changes Become Law

On May 15, 2010, Governor Tim Pawlenty signed Senate File 2918 ( Omnibus Pension Bill) into law. The bill contains plan provision changes affecting all TRA benefit recipients, active members and employer units. The new law is known as: Laws of Minnesota (2010) Chapter 359.
The law, authored by Senator Don Betzold (DFL-Fridley) and Representative Mary Murphy [...]

Spring 2010 Newsletter

Spring 2010 Retiree Newsletter
Support for Stability

Pension Article in the Strib

PENSIONS: THE NEXT TO GO BUST?
• Generous benefits and faltering investments have depleted government funds.
By PAT DOYLE pdoyle@startribune.com
A financial time bomb is ticking away — mostly unheard by taxpayers, government workers and retirees.

Years of off-the-mark investment assumptions, inadequate contributions and generous benefits have left government pension funds in a [...]

Sharing the pain of pension problem

Star Tribune- lead editorial, 4/21/2010
• Bill would increase contributions of state teachers, districts.
Many private sector pension plans have taken a beating in these difficult economic times. Some companies have slashed current and future benefits, frozen employer contributions or dropped plans altogether, continuing a trend that started even before the economic downturn.

With [...]

REAM Retraction

From the Retired Educators Association of Minnesota
January 2010 Newsletter
A very large and growing funding gap that is unprecedented in Teachers Retirement Association (TRA) recent history needs to be addressed by the 2010 Legislature: Over the last two fiscal years (from FY2007 to FY 2009) the fair market value of TRA’s assets has declined by over $6 billion, from $19.9 billion [...]

Letter from TRA

Rose Hemodson, one of our lobbyists received the following letter from TRA.
Please take a moment to read it.
press here: ltr-5-31-2009

Pension Legislation Update

Pensions:

The Omnibus Pension Bill was stripped of the provisions in Article 6 that would have funded the deficit in Teacher Retirement Association Fund and also provide a pension benefit increase targeted for post-89 active teachers. This was done late Sunday night (early morning) in a meeting of the House Rules Committee. The governor had [...]

Committee of 13 is Critically Important to Us All!

Some of you no doubt may think that the work of the Committee of Thirteen was done when we merged with TRA.
Think again!
Look at what has happened. An assessment of the pension
landscape in 2009 clearly shows that the economy and the
stock market crash have devastated the earnings of the TRA to a
dangerous level. [...]

Spring 09 C-13 Newsletter

press here to read newsletter

Pension Reform Lesislation Update

See C-13 Bd Minutes for April 28, 2009