Government Relations

NCTR’s Government Relations program works with other national organizations representing public employers, public employees, and governmental plans before the Congress and relevant federal agencies to promote and protect a strong and secure retirement future for all teachers and educational employees by engaging in the discussion and resolution of public policy issues affecting public pension funds.

To learn more about NCTR’s legislative policies and positions, please visit NCTR’s Governing Documents.

Legislative Committee

The Legislative Committee is a Standing Committee as specified in the NCTR Constitution. The Constitution states that “the Legislative Committee exists to implement the policies of the Executive Committee in regard to federal or state legislative or agency decisions or proposals that impact NCTR or its members.”

Leigh Snell
Federal Relations Director
P: (540) 333-1015
E: Leigh@nctr.org

Recent examples of NCTR’s advocacy efforts on behalf of our members include:

March 4, 2024

Letter to the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board disagreeing with their editorial — “Alaskans Flirt With Pension Peril, February 28, 2024 – and supporting Alaska’s efforts to address their current public education crisis by reinstating a defined-benefit (DB) retirement plan for state employees and teachers.

November 30, 2023

Joint alert and sample letter to be used by public plans and/or plan sponsors to comment on OMB’s proposed revisions to allowable pension costs [and post-retirement health plan (PRHP) costs, if applicable] in its Guidance on Grants and Agreements that would reverse long-standing guidance allowing pension and PRHP contributions calculated according to an actuarial cost method recognized by GAAP to be paid by OMB. NCTR also sent a joint comment letter.

May 11, 2023

Joint letter to Treasury/IRS. Absent a timely resolution of changes to employee “catch-up” contributions made by SECURE 2.0, the letter warned that some public plans would be forced to suspend use of this important tool to enhance supplemental retirement savings. The letter succeeded in obtaining necessary relief.

Advocacy Archives

March 4, 2024 – Letter to the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board disagreeing with their editorial — “Alaskans Flirt With Pension Peril, February 28, 2024 – and supporting Alaska’s efforts to address their current public education crisis by reinstating a defined-benefit (DB) retirement plan for state employees and teachers.
May 11, 2023 – Joint Letter to Treasury/IRS on “SECURE 2.0” Guidance for Governmental Plans
November 30, 2023 –  Joint alert and sample letter to be used by public plans and/or plan sponsors to comment on OMB’s proposed revisions to allowable pension costs [and post-retirement health plan (PRHP) costs, if applicable] in its Guidance on Grants and Agreements that would reverse long-standing guidance allowing pension and PRHP contributions calculated according to an actuarial cost method recognized by GAAP to be paid by OMB. NCTR also sent a joint comment letter.
July 25, 2018 – Re: ASB Actuarial Standards of Practice No. 4 Exposure Drafts
June 20, 2018 – Opposition to PEPTA Letter to All House Members
December 11, 2017 – Letter to Conferees on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act regarding the impact of Section 5001 of H.R. 1,  which would impose the Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) on states’ pension plans and their investments.
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