Illinois pensions and what the hell happened yesterday.
There was good news and bad, very bad, news yesterday coming out of Springfield.
I got the story wrong and I’m not altogether clear yet.
It started earlier in the day when a Sangamon County judge ruled on a case not involving TRS that the state could legally change the benefits of a retiree health plan.
I knew that this was a worrisome decision and might give Senate President Cullerton some extra votes on his Senate Bill 1, which included a forced choice between a COLA and health care.
Later in the afternoon I got an email that the Illinois Senate had defeated SB35, 30 to 23.
SB35 is the draconian Biss/Cross/Nekritz bill.
So, that was the day’s good news.
The email also said that SB1 had lost by 1 vote. But that it was likely to be called again for a vote and that we
Pension petitions delivered to Springfield.
I got the story wrong and I’m not altogether clear yet.
It started earlier in the day when a Sangamon County judge ruled on a case not involving TRS that the state could legally change the benefits of a retiree health plan.
I knew that this was a worrisome decision and might give Senate President Cullerton some extra votes on his Senate Bill 1, which included a forced choice between a COLA and health care.
Later in the afternoon I got an email that the Illinois Senate had defeated SB35, 30 to 23.
SB35 is the draconian Biss/Cross/Nekritz bill.
So, that was the day’s good news.
The email also said that SB1 had lost by 1 vote. But that it was likely to be called again for a vote and that we
Pension petitions delivered to Springfield.
From Glen Brown’s blog:
Senator Cullerton’s Press Secretary requested that we crop this photo. (Photo by John Dillon)
On March 15th, John Dillon and I met with Senator Michael Connelly (Naperville) and asked him to deliver a 542-page petition signed by 5,342 concerned citizens across Illinois to Senate President John Cullerton. (These citizens are asking legislators not to cut their earned and constitutionally-guaranteed benefits, but to find sources of revenue to pay what the State of Illinois owes its dedicated public employees). On Tuesday, March 19th, I was apprised by Connelly’s secretary that he was unable to complete the task (“he forgot”), so I printed another copy of the petition.On Wednesday, March 20th, this petition was personally delivered to the office of Senate President Cullerton in Springfield by John Dillon and me.
The petition states:
Illinois has a pension debt and revenue problem. Most legislators know this, and they also
