At its October meeting, the Joint Committee on Pensions heard a presentation of the legislative proposals submitted by the Maryland State Pension Board of Trustees (BoT) for the 2019 session. The BoT representatives presented 14 proposals for the Joint Committee's consideration. The proposals were described as mostly administrative in nature and intended to clarify or correct inconsistencies, remove obsolete provisions, or increase efficiencies. The proposals address: Notarization Certification of Payment of Member Contributions Alternative Contributory…

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment has fallen to 3.7%. From the Bureau Commissioner's statement: The unemployment rate declined to 3.7 percent in September, and total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 134,000, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in professional and business services, in health care, and in transportation and warehousing. As reported by The Hill, The U.S. economy added 134,000 jobs in September, well below expectations, as…

A dataset shows 51% of counties with unemployment rates below the national average in 2017, while individual rates portray the varied experience of labor successes. The National Association of Counties County Explorer released a analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics from 2017. They found that on average, county unemployment rates were below the national unemployment rate. Much reporting on the recovery from the Recession has described how pockets of the country…

Montgomery County's Retirement Executive Director Linda Herman is recognized as one of the brightest and most forward-looking asset owners in the US. Linda Herman, Executive Director of Montgomery County Employee Retirement Plans was nominated for an innovation award from the online publication CIO, in the category of Public Defined Benefit Plan Below $15 Billion. From Chief Investment Officer (CIO), For the ninth consecutive year, CIO is announcing its short list of the most innovative asset owners and…