Illinois Pension Debate Expected To Move To Courts

NPR

Published December 17, 2013 at 10:00 AM CST

Update 3:20 p.m.: Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has signed the pension reform bill.

Now that lawmakers have passed an overhaul of Illinois’s government worker pension systems, the fight is expected to move to the courts.

Provisions of the overhaul include raising the retirement age for many state workers and cutting some benefits. The overhaul is estimated to save the state $160 billion over 30 years.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is expected to sign the bill by the end of the week.

As soon as he does, labor groups are expected to sue. They argue that the Illinois constitution does not allow lawmakers to cut benefits for workers and retirees.

Ron McNeil, dean of the College of Business and Management at the University of Illinois, Springfield, and Dan Montgomery, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, join Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson to discuss Illinois’s pension debate.

Guests

Ron McNeil, dean of the College of Business and Management at the University of Illinois, Springfield.
Dan Montgomery, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers.