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Former Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski Files Two 2020 Ballot Initiatives to Tackle Public Pension Costs

April 5, 2019 | Willamette Week | by Nigel Jaquiss

The former governor, a Democrat who oversaw PERS cuts in 2003, is joined by former state Sen. Chris Telfer, a Republican.

Former Gov. Ted Kulongoski today filed two 2020 ballot initiatives aimed at addressing the unfunded liabilities of the Public Employment Retirement System, which exceed $25 billion and will require increasingly large payments from state and local government employers over the next decade.

Kulongoski, a Democrat who served as governor from 2003 through 2011, previously oversaw significant PERS cuts during the 2003 legislative session.

Bipartisan group files two initiatives to protect PERS pensions and public services

April 4, 2019 | The Oregonian | by Ted Sickinger

Members of the business community filed two prospective ballot measures Thursday that would aim to rein in the Oregon’s public pension system’s growing deficit and runaway costs.

The first potential ballot measure would give new hires the option of a 401(k)-style retirement plan financed by matching contributions of 6% of salary by employers and employees. New hires could choose that new plan or the pension system — but not both, as employees get today. And moving forward, all employees participating in the pension plan would contribute 6% of their salary toward the cost of future benefits, starting July 1, 2021.

Editorial: Put first things (pension reform) first

March 29, 2019 | The Bulletin | by Editorial Board

Surely the biggest task Oregon lawmakers tackle every two years is coming up with a budget. This year the task is complicated by a couple of things. Legislators always want more money — even if revenue is already increasing. Too, the state is faced with a huge and growing unfunded liability in its Public Employees Retirement System fund, a nearly $27 billion projected shortfall that costs money at virtually every level of government in Oregon.

Our View: Raiding workers’ comp for PERS a horrible idea

March 28, 2019 | The Daily Astorian | by Editorial Board

PERS will swallow much of the $2 billion that the Oregon Legislature is trying to raise for public schools. Even the Legislature’s Democratic leadership concedes this.

And here’s another catch: To net that $2 billion in additional revenue — primarily by substantially increasing business taxes — the Legislature might have to pass a tax increase of $3 billion or more for the next two years.

Business groups agree that schools need more money, which is why they are raising the PERS alarm.

Our view | No more waiting on meaningful PERS reform

March 27, 2019 | East Oregonian | by Editorial Board

PERS will swallow much of the $2 billion that the Oregon Legislature is trying to raise for public schools. Even the Legislature’s Democratic leadership concedes this.

Opinion: A principled response to the challenge of PERS reform

March 27, 2019 | The Oregonian | by Ted Kulongoski

It is said that politics is the art of the possible. The question is: When is a public policy change “possible?”
There are two fundamental principles in implementing a policy change. First, is the proposed policy a fair and effective way to address the issue? Second, do the citizens believe that the proposed policy addresses a critical issue that is of such importance that we must change the existing policy?
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Editorial: PERS barges in to talks about school funds

March 18, 2019 | Corvallis Gazette Times | by Mike McInally

Do you remember a couple of years ago, the last time the Legislature was seriously considering a major new tax on Oregon businesses? At the time, business leaders were sending encouraging signs that they’d be open to taxation proposals — as long as legislators also reformed the state’s underfunded public pension system.

Long story short: The deal fell apart, as legislators were reluctant to tackle major overhauls to the Public Employees Retirement System. A coalition funded largely by public employee unions moved ahead on its own and placed a business-tax measure on the ballot; that proposal, Measure 97, was swatted down by voters.

Money for schools, or for PERS? Oregon’s pension crisis could gobble up $2 billion tax hike

March 16, 2019 | The Oregonian | by Mike Rogoway

Longer school years? Smaller classes? More counselors, science and music classes?

Those are some of the ideas kicking around Salem as lawmakers contemplate how to spend a proposed $2 billion business tax hike for schools. The money could be a welcome boost for Oregon educators, parents and kids, who have endured nearly 20 years of schools funding well below the national average.

Oregon’s Proposed Gross Receipts Tax Is More Damaging Than Proposed Value-Added Tax

March 13, 2019 | Tax Foundation | by Garrett Watson, Nicole Kaeding

Last Thursday, Oregon’s Legislative Revenue Office (LRO) presented model results illustrating the impact of a proposed Business Activity Tax, a value-added tax, on Oregon’s economy. This allows us to compare the effect of this proposal against the Commercial Activities Tax, a proposed tax on gross receipts. These tax proposals are part of a broader effort to raise revenue and improve Oregon’s public education system.

There are Better Ways to Raise Revenue in Oregon Than a Gross Receipts Tax

March 11, 2019 | Tax Foundation | by Garrett Watson, Nicole Kaeding

This week, Oregon’s Legislative Revenue Office (LRO) provided economic projections to the Joint Committee on Student Success Subcommittee on Revenue to assess the impact of a proposed gross receipts tax on Oregon’s economy. The committee is interested in raising about $1 billion in annual revenue from a new source to improve the state’s public education system. This is the third time Oregon has considered a gross receipts tax in the past five years, after a legislative proposal failed in 2017 and a ballot initiative to enact a gross receipts tax was rejected by voters in 2016.

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