Leonard Gilroy
Vice President of Government Reform, Reason Foundation
Leonard Gilroy is Vice President of Government Reform at Reason Foundation and Senior Managing Director of Reason's Pension Integrity Project.
Under Gilroy's leadership, the Pension Integrity Project at Reason Foundation assists policymakers and other stakeholders in designing, analyzing and implementing public sector pension reforms. The project aims to promote solvent, sustainable retirement systems that provide retirement security for government workers while reducing taxpayer and pension system exposure to financial risk and reducing long-term costs for employers/taxpayers and employees. The project team provides education, reform policy options, and actuarial analysis for policymakers and stakeholders to help them design reform proposals that are practical and viable.
Gilroy and the Pension Integrity Project have provided technical assistance to several successful pension reform efforts in recent years in Michigan, Colorado, Arizona, South Carolina and other states aimed at tackling persistent pension solvency challenges.
In his role as vice president, Gilroy also leads Reason's government reform efforts, with over 18 years of experience researching fiscal management, government operations, infrastructure public-private partnerships, government contracting, and urban policy topics. He also regularly consults with federal, state and local officials on ways to improve government performance and efficiency.
Gilroy has a diversified background in policy research and implementation, with particular emphasis on competition, government efficiency, transparency, accountability, and government performance. Gilroy has testified before Congress on several occasions and has testified on pension reform before the Arizona, Florida, Michigan, and Texas legislatures. Gilroy works closely with state and local elected officials across the country in efforts to design and implement market-based policy approaches, improve government performance, enhance accountability in government programs, and reduce government spending.
Gilroy's articles have been featured in such leading publications as The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, The Weekly Standard, Washington Times, Houston Chronicle, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Arizona Republic, San Francisco Examiner, San Diego Union-Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Sacramento Bee, and The Salt Lake Tribune. He has also appeared on CNN, Fox News Channel, Fox Business, CNBC, National Public Radio and other media outlets.
Prior to joining Reason, Gilroy was a senior planner at a Louisiana-based urban planning consulting firm. He also worked as a research assistant at the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech. Gilroy earned a B.A. and M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Tech.
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Debt trends for state and local governments 2020-2022
This tool provides debt and spending insights for the 100 largest municipalities, counties and school districts in America and all 50 states for fiscal years 2020, 2021 and 2022.
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Legal analysis suggests Michigan House Bill 6060 violates state law
Actuarial analysis of proposed pension benefit changes of this magnitude is required by law in Michigan under MCL Section 38.1140h
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Michigan Senate Bills 165, 166, and 167 would increase public pension costs
Under a best-case scenario, the additional cost of this pension proposal would be just north of $800 million over the next 30 years.
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Michigan House Bill 6060 would negatively impact the teacher pension system
Michigan House Bill 6060 would add between $17 billion to $20 billion in new employer costs over the next few decades.
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Michigan House Bill 6061 would undo public pension progress
Proposed changes would re-expose Michigan to unnecessary unfunded liabilities, financial risks, and billions in hidden costs.
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Psychedelic drug policy recommendations for the incoming Trump administration
The incoming Trump administration has promised sweeping reforms, and that might include reversing the federal suppression of psychedelics.
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The case for Connecticut’s fiscal guardrails
The “fiscal guardrails” have saved Connecticut more than $170 million and could save $7 billion over the next 25 years.
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Massachusetts Question 4 would legalize and regulate certain psychedelics
The initiative would establish regulated access for adults to certain natural psychedelic substances that show therapeutic potential in mental health.
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Georgia’s teacher pension system needs reforms to address current debt, future risks
The pension plan is still $27.7 billion short on the assets needed to pay for retirement promises made to teachers.
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Colorado could improve regulatory rules regarding psychedelic use
As Colorado establishes an operating regulatory framework for The Natural Medicine Health Act, there is room for improvement in rulemaking.
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New Jersey Senate Bill 2283 would decriminalize psilocybin
Senate Bill 2283 would allow personal possession and cultivation of psilocybin in a private residence.
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Delaying Mississippi PERS reform will increase cost to taxpayers
PERS faces a $25.5 billion shortfall largely due to unfunded benefit increases, investment underperformance, and insufficient employer contributions.
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Missouri Senate Joint Resolution 71 would unwisely fund public pensions through fines and fees
If governments are going to offer pensions, they need to be willing to directly appropriate the funding to cover those pension promises.
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Regulated psilocybin access in Arizona would help treat mental health conditions
Arizona Senate Bill 1570 would create a regulated and limited program to access psilocybin.
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Senate Bill 88 would expose Alaska to significant additional costs
This bill could realistically add $9.6 billion in additional costs to future state budgets and reintroduce Alaska to significant pension risk.
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House Bill 2854 threatens Oklahoma’s pension progress
House Bill 2854 would re-expose Oklahoma to unnecessary unfunded liabilities, financial risks, and hidden costs that would ultimately be borne by taxpayers.
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Redirecting MPSERS’ debt payment could cost taxpayers $1.4 billion
Eliminating a $670 million annual contribution into MPSERS would require an additional $1.4 billion over the next 14 years in net pension payments.
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Nonprofit announces new partnership with Ohio to tackle opioid addiction with ibogaine
A promising new partnership announced in Ohio this week will explore the use of the psychedelic compound ibogaine to treat opioid use disorder.
