Murphy calls for changes -- but no cuts -- to drive down New Jersey's soaring pension costs

[TexasTowelie]

Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday began rolling out recommendations for how to drive down New Jersey’s ever-ballooning costs for government-worker pensions and health benefits — but stopped short of suggesting the cuts that some top state lawmakers are considering.

Instead, the Murphy administration says the state’s health care plans should leverage its size and shorten contract lengths to save taxpayers money, according to an interim report from a task force the rookie governor convened.

Murphy, a Democrat, called the 12-page report “an excellent starting point in our ongoing pursuit of innovative solutions to improve the way we provide health benefits to public employees.”

“This is a Goliath of a task, but the blue print laid out today provides sound, actionable items that are achievable in the immediate future while we work towards long-term solutions,” the governor added in a statement.

Read more: https://www.nj.com/politics/2018/12/murphy-wants-changes-but-no-cuts-to-drive-down-njs-soaring-pension-costs.html