Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn has said repeatedly his top priority is dealing with the state’s pensions - the worst- funded in the country. He’s held countless press conferences and made the argument that pension costs take away money for other state programs.
House Republican Leader Tom Cross says proposals to deal with the pension funds have been around for two years.
"We’ve talked about these to a point where we don’t need to talk any more," said Cross. "We’ve got to do this."
But apparently lawmakers do need to talk more. A House committee approved a measure Monday dealing with the issue - but it still needs the approval of the full House and Senate. That could be hard to do - since the Senate is waiting to see what action the House takes and November’s election winners are sworn in Wednesday.
Several union leaders have voiced their opposition to many pension reform proposals - saying they’re unconstitutional - and state employees shouldn’t be punished because the state didn’t pay its part for years.
