Springfield Pension Reform Session Flops

By Jamey Dunn, Illinois Issues
A one-day special legislative session to address the state’s struggling pension systems produced plenty of finger pointing but no reforms.

A plan that would only have affected members of the General Assembly Retirement System failed to get the support needed to pass. No new pension reform proposals emerged from the Senate, which adjourned before the House began debate  “In the context of the overall problem, I think we all agree that this does absolutely nothing,” said House Minority Leader Tom Cross. He and many of his fellow Republicans called on Gov. Pat Quinn to keep lawmakers in special session until a pension plan passes.

“I was disappointed with the legislature today,” Quinn said after both chambers adjourned. He said that he does not plan to call lawmakers back for a special session in the immediate future. Quinn said he plans to launch a campaign to reach out to voters and business groups and urge them to put pressure on lawmakers.

Quinn said, “It’s pretty clear to me that we’re not going to continue to engage with Republican leaders who are not sincere about voting for public pensions reform." But Republican leaders say that it is Democrats who are either not genuinely interested in passing reform or bungling the job.

A Quinn spokesperson said the governor plans to reveal more details about his "grassroots" campaign next week.

You can ready Jamey's full report at: http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/after-having-no-luck-with-lawmakers.html