TheRepublic.com - John Cullerton News

Gov. Quinn: Illinois has chance to make history

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:08:48 -0400

CHICAGO - Gov. Pat Quinn said Illinois lawmakers have a chance to make history on two fronts this month by approving a plan to fix the state's decades-old pension crisis and legalizing same-sex marriage.

Quinn pushes for ban on high-capacity ammunition

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:06:14 -0400

CHICAGO - Illinois' top Democrats joined parents of Connecticut school shooting victims Sunday to call for a state ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines, a push made as lawmakers face a tight deadline on a contentious measure to legalize concealed carry.

Quinn pushes for ban on high-capacity ammunition

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:44:05 -0400

CHICAGO - Parents of three children killed in the Connecticut school shooting say a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines will help save lives.

State workers anxious as lawmakers debate pensions

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:48:17 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - An Illinois agency manager might have to delay retirement. A former university secretary wonders if she'll have to cancel vacations. A state office assistant fears he won't be able to afford the medical care his wife needs.

Watchdog group says state must address pensions

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:55:36 -0400

CHICAGO - Gov. Pat Quinn's proposed state budget is a baby step in the right direction, a watchdog group's analysis said Monday, but the governor may be overstating savings from a recent union contract negotiation and not putting enough toward roughly $9 billion unpaid bills.

Illinois Senate OKs union-backed pension deal

Thu, 09 May 2013 15:54:47 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - The Illinois Senate voted Thursday to send a union-supported pension reform bill to the House, leaving lawmakers with two competing proposals for dealing with the nation's worst state pension problem just weeks before the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn.

Quinn: Madigan pension bill deserves Senate vote

Thu, 09 May 2013 14:07:26 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Gov. Pat Quinn says House Speaker Michael Madigan's pension-reform plan deserves a Senate vote.

Senate committee passes union-backed pension plan

Wed, 08 May 2013 19:52:15 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - A Senate committee approved a union-backed approach for dealing with Illinois' pension crisis Wednesday, saying it gives the state its best chance at surviving an inevitable court challenge and getting out of its nearly $100 billion mess.

Excerpts of editorials from Illinois newspapers

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:35:47 -0400

May 5, 2013

Unions ask lawmakers to back Senate pension plan

Mon, 06 May 2013 19:26:20 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Illinois union leaders are encouraging lawmakers to support a pension reform proposal that they recently agreed on with the state's Senate president.

Senate Democrats want union-backed pension deal

Mon, 06 May 2013 18:49:14 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Senate Democrats are supporting a new union-backed pension reform proposal they say is less risky than one approved in the House last week.

Closer Look: Lawmakers weighing pension options

Sun, 05 May 2013 11:35:16 -0400

CHICAGO - After years of trying, lawmakers return to Springfield on Monday with something they haven't had before: two potential options for finally addressing Illinois' multibillion-dollar pension problem.

Illinois House OKs Madigan pension-reform plan

Thu, 02 May 2013 18:27:29 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - The Illinois House approved a plan Thursday that would tackle the $97 billion shortfall in the state's retirement system by increasing employee contributions and decreasing benefits, the first victory for across-the-board pension reform in four years of debate.

Madigan expects Senate to approve his pension plan

Thu, 02 May 2013 17:49:42 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan says he expects his legislative proposal to reform the state's pension systems will trump all others and reach the governor's desk.

Quinn praises Madigan-backed pension plan

Thu, 02 May 2013 17:01:43 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Gov. Pat Quinn says Illinois House lawmakers have taken the "biggest step to date" toward restoring the state's financial stability.

Cullerton: Unions have 'credible' pension plan

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:50:21 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Illinois Senate President John Cullerton says his negotiations with labor union leaders have yielded a "credible and constitutional" pension-reform plan.

Ill. House panel OKs Madigan pension plan

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:41:56 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - Labor leaders threatened a lawsuit Wednesday over House Speaker Michael Madigan's pension-reform proposal to lower the retirement benefits of public employees in Illinois, but a committee advanced the plan anyway.

Ill. Senate leader still working on pension deal

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:06:04 -0400

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - A spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton says he will keep working to pass a pension reform bill he believes can survive a court challenge.