CHICAGO — Gov. Pat Quinn dangled the possibility this week that he'll call lawmakers back for a special session on Illinois' nearly $100 billion pension crisis, but he pressed Senate President John Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan to first agree on a fix.
However, Quinn's efforts to nudge lawmakers hit an immediate snag when Madigan, who was out of the state, didn't show up to the first closed-door meeting legislative leaders have held since lawmakers adjourned and didn't participate by phone either.
Quinn said he impressed the urgency of the problem upon Cullerton in the roughly hourlong meeting, which came a day after a major bond house downgraded Illinois' credit rating. Quinn told reporters he spoke with Madigan last week in Springfield but that the speaker doesn't have a cellphone — which a spokesman confirmed — and so he left word with Madigan's wife.
"When he is available we will express to him the same thing I told John Cullerton … He will come forward, hopefully soon," Quinn said. "Those two have to put aside any personal differences and work together to put a state public pension reform bill on my desk so I can sign it into law to help the Illinois economy."
Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.
Your access to unlimited BenefitsPRO content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Critical BenefitsPRO information including cutting edge post-reform success strategies, access to educational webcasts and videos, resources from industry leaders, and informative Newsletters.
- Exclusive discounts on ALM, BenefitsPRO magazine and BenefitsPRO.com events
- Access to other award-winning ALM websites including ThinkAdvisor.com and Law.com
Already have an account? Sign In
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
