Tagged: pensions

More Illinois government employees are taking the leap into retirement, apparently hoping to lock in their benefits before state officials agree on a plan to cut pensions.

Illinois officials will gather financial information from the state’s more than 800 school districts over the next two weeks to understand how shifting pension costs away from the state would affect those districts.

“The more facts we could gather regarding what the impact would be on school districts,” Gov. Pat Quinn said, “it would be very important facts we should know.”

The governor initially supported shifting the cost of future pensions for downstate teachers and university workers to school districts and universities but backed away as the legislative session waned.

Illinois lawmakers have wrapped up their spring session. But they left some work on the table. 

The General Assembly did send the governor a budget. But Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, says it contains "gimmicks" meant to disguise bad policies.

"Pushing bills off. Moving them around," he said. "Trying to deceive the people into believing that fiscal responsibility has finally been visited upon their Capitol when clearly it has not."