By: Team Sherrod

Last week, thousands descended on Columbus to rally for a bipartisan solution to the pension crisis that’s put their hard-earned retirement at risk. Sherrod helped create a bipartisan special committee tasked with developing a proposal by the end of November. As its co-chair, he brought the committee, which includes Sen. Rob Portman, to Ohio last week to hear from businesses and retirees about the need for a bipartisan fix.

Here’s what they’re saying about Sherrod’s work on behalf of Ohioans whose pensions are at risk: 

Columbus Dispatch: Ohio senators confront devastation of pension crisis

• Both of Ohio’s U.S. senators, among those tasked with finding a bipartisan solution to the nation’s pension crisis, confronted the devastation in a Statehouse hearing room Friday.
• The rare field hearing of the congressional Joint Select Committee on Pensions was the first staged outside of Washington — and potentially the last before the committee attempts to craft a solution by the end of November.
• The senators, Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Rob Portman, co-chaired the committee and heard about the crisis directly from six union representatives and small business owners from Ohio.

 

Cleveland.com: Congressional committee hears ideas, concerns about pension fix at Columbus meeting

• Ohio small business owners and retirees offered differing ideas during a special congressional committee meeting here to talk about how Congress should save multi-employer pension plans at risk of failure.
• Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman co-chaired the Friday meeting and heard from six Ohioans who all agreed action needs to happen soon to protect multi-employer pension funds.
• Brown said Friday he’s open minded about finding a solution.
• “I’ll look at any proposal that conservatives put out, that liberals put out,” Brown told reporters before the hearing. “I just want to see this fixed.”

Toledo Blade: Congressional committee hears pleas from retirees

• In the wake of Thursday’s massive rally demanding that Congress “fix it,” a federal committee on Friday planned to consider ways to shore up shaky private pension funds affecting more than 1 million Americans. The bipartisan House and Senate Joint Select Committee on Pensions will hold its fifth hearing and its first outside Washington on the issue. It is charged with making a recommendation to Congress before the end of November.
• Only a handful of the committee’s members were expected to hear testimony, among them the co-chairman, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio), fellow Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican, and Sen. Joe Manchin (D.,West Virginia).
• Much of the union support has gone to the proposed Butch Lewis Act that is sponsored by Mr. Brown and fellow Democrats, including both of Michigan’s senators.

WCMH – Columbus NBC: Retirees rally for pensions as committee considers Sen. Brown’s bill to bolster pension program

• The pensions of more than 60,000 Ohioans and more than 1 million Americans are at risk, making times difficult for retired steelworkers, coal miners, tobacco workers, teamsters and more. The pension funds are slowly collapsing as they have been since the Wall Street crisis of 2008.  
• Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown says he has a plan to save the pensions and his Republican counterpart, Sen. Rob Portman, says he is on board.
• The pension committee heard from employers, retirees and even widows who are all desperate for federal help.  Brown is confident he can get bipartisan support in both houses for his bill to bolster the pension program.