Haley Stevens: “I have conferred with the sponsors of this bill--it is a bill, a separate bill--that has been referred to the…”

“I have conferred with the sponsors of this bill--it is a bill, a separate bill--that has been referred to the Governmental Affairs Committee. It is a matter on which we are seeking the advice of many people in this country as to how it would affect the pension systems not only of our governmental employees but also of those in the private sector. As I have said to the two Senators, whatever we do in this area has generally been followed in the private sector after we have taken a new course with regard to pensions. I have committed to the Senators, I am pleased to say, Senator Gregg, who is the principal sponsor, and Senator Reid, cosponsor of the bill, that we will have a hearing and we will get the opinions of these people as quickly as possible. If we can get to the place where we can reach a conclusion in time to consider it at the time the legislative appropriations bill comes up, I will be pleased to assist in that regard. But I do think we have to have time to see how this is going to affect those people who rely on the pension systems. I am thinking of widows and spouses of those who might be incarcerated and how it is going to happen that we follow this process and what happens to the economy if they do not have the money they have earned in the past through the retirement systems. So I commit that we will hold that hearing as quickly as possible when we come back and work with them. I do applaud what they are doing. I do not disagree.…”