Unreported but significant – new bills to curb the, unfixed public employee retirement system that us crushing Oregon’s economy.Oregon Senators Tim Knopp, Ted Ferrioli, Bill Hansel, Kim Thatcher, and Doug Whitsett (get on Twitter, Doug!) introduced Senate bill SB 1519 to try to curb the free for all hogs at a trough games in PERS such as pushing forward unused sick days, codify some matching requirements for contributions and also matching federal requirements. It also effectively puts forward a plan for new hires from January 1, 2017.

SB 1525, also introduced by a mix of Republicans and Democrats excludes ‘sick pay leave’ from the definition of payroll. Sick pay is now a ‘thing’ for the Oregon economy now that many employers are required to offer it based on hours worked.

If some of these items seem strange or obscure, that’s because the way they are used to artificially inflate PERS payouts by public employees.

None of this addresses the real pain inflicted on the state for the largess being paid out to vested and retired members, but at least it is a start.