Kansas’s pension system has been underfunded for some time now. Governor Sam Brownback and other state leaders have been working to get the program back on track. However, state leaders may have set themselves a false benchmark for restoring the pension system, reports the Topeka Capital-Journal.
At the end of last year, the pension system was only 62 percent funded. Kansas officials have repeatedly said that the pension system will be healthy once 80 percent of its costs are funded over the next two decades. But many experts say that setting a single benchmark for the system’s success is impossible. That’s because the program’s financial footing depends on multiple factors. Critics worry that setting a single benchmark will only encourage lawmakers to slack off once the 80 percent goal is reached.
