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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New Mexico Educational Retirement Board Pension Solvency Analysis
New Mexico's Educational Retirement Board has $7.9 billion in unfunded pension liabilities.
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Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System (LASERS) Pension Solvency Analysis
The Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System has only 64 percent of the assets needed to fully fund the pension system.
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Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana Pension Solvency Analysis
The latest, official numbers reveal that the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana now has over $10 billion in unfunded pension liabilities.
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas Solvency Analysis
Investment returns failing to meet unrealistic expectations have been the largest contributor to the public pension plan's unfunded liabilities, adding over $30 billion in debt since 2001.
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Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System Solvency Analysis
Recent reforms to the public safety personnel public pension system are showing significant savings and increased retirement security for employees.
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Examining How Much Money That Pension Debt Takes Away From Michigan’s Classrooms Each Year
In 2018, Detroit Public Schools spent $2,202 per student on MPSERS debt, which equals nearly 27 percent of the district's per pupil foundation grant from the state.
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North Carolina Teachers & State Employees Retirement System Solvency Analysis
Investment performance falling short of return assumptions has been the largest contributor to the public pension plan's growing debt, adding $7.6 billion in unfunded liabilities since 2008.
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Evaluating the Actuarial Soundness of Texas’ Largest Public Pension Plans
Reforms would move the state towards more sustainable and responsible retirement systems that better protect Texas' teachers, public employees and taxpayers.
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Oregon Supreme Court Ruling Has Major Implications for Retirement Security and Hybrid Plan Design
The court's ruling has far-reaching implications for hybrid retirement systems like Oregon’s.
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New Mexico Public Employees Retirement Association Solvency Analysis
PERA administrators and stakeholders are likely to face persistent challenges made more pronounced by ongoing market and revenue volatility.
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Michigan Enacts Comprehensive Tolling Study
The law could provide a long-term solution to funding and modernizing Michigan’s highways, which are in poor condition
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The Potential Risks and Rewards of CalPERS’ New Investment Policy
The nation's largest public pension plan is seeking better returns by investing in more private equity and allowing strategic borrowing.
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Mississippi Public Employees’ Retirement System Solvency Analysis
Underperforming investment returns have been the biggest contributor to the growing unfunded liability, adding $6.8 billion in debt to the system since 2001.
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Arkansas Teacher Retirement System Pension Solvency Analysis
Investment returns failing to meet unrealistic expectations has been the single largest contributor to unfunded liability growth, adding $1.9 billion in debt to ATRS since 2000.
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Seeking Pension Resiliency
National public pension funding barely improved over the last decade despite a historic bull market. It would be false hope to think that we will invest our way out of the current crisis. It’s time to think differently.
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Proposed Reforms to Georgia’s Teacher Pension System Missed the Mark
Previously introduced legislation to reform the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia attempted to address out of control costs but fell short of comprehensive reform for retirees and taxpayers.
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New Mexico Enacts Bipartisan Pension Reform to Improve PERA Solvency
Senate Bill 72 was a necessary and crucial first step towards improving the financial health of PERA and ensuring the sustainable delivery of public employee retirement benefits for state and local workers
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The Impacts of Proposed Changes to Georgia’s Teacher Retirement System
Understanding the bills’ short-term costs along with their potential long-term benefits is critical to fully evaluating these reforms.
