I returned from maternity leave just in time to take part in the epic debate over public pension reform. Get the teachers’ pension costs will top General State Aid education spending this year unless we act now.
To date the working model for pension reform has been House Bill 149, introduced by House GOP Leader Tom Cross. The language in that legislation is being modified and likely will be placed on Senate Bill 512, a shell bill assigned for hearing in tomorrow’s House Personnel and Pensions Committee.
Given Illinois’s worst-in-the-nation unfunded liability and “blue state” politics, what unfolds over the coming days will be a bellwether for the rest of the country. Has your legislator heard from you? (Click here to find your state legislator)
Kristina Rasmussen
Exec. VP, Illinois Policy Institute
P.S. No, he’s not a long-lost relative of mine, but RSVP to hear pollster Scott Rasmussen speak in Chicago and Springfield on May 24. Seats are filling up fast.
Pension Reform Now
To pay for Gov. Quinn’s tax hikes and the rising cost of state pensions, Illinoisans will lose out on an extra week’s paycheck this year. That’s not what the people want, according to our poll results. It’s no wonder voters want reform, considering the household tax burden for city and state pensions will more than double over the next decade for Chicagoans.
The Institute’s board chairman makes a compelling case for bold action in this Crain’s Chicago letter. Get the facts on a solution with our one-pager, and watch a myth-busting video featuring Institute CEO John Tillman.
Where Daily Life and Policy Meet
Listen in to the Institute’s new podcast, Where Daily Life and Policy Meet, hosted by yours truly. Recent interviews include Cong. Joe Walsh on his balanced budget amendment and Reason’s Nick Gillespie on efforts in Springfield to ban trans fats.
How Capitalism Will Save Us: Job Creation Summit
You are invited to join Wall Street Journal Senior Economic Writer Stephen Moore, Illinois Policy Institute Senior Fellow Marc Levine and other Illinois business leaders for a free job creation summit titled “How Capitalism Will Save Us” Sunday, May 22.
- WHAT: Job creation summit with economic experts: “How Capitalism Will Save Us”
- WHEN: Sunday, May 22 from 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- WHERE: Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel at 1551 North Thoreau Drive in Schaumburg
- To RSVP or for more information, please visit: www.familytaxpayers.org
Recent Media Coverage
- Ill. could OK new partnerships on road projects, Associated Press, May 16.
- Guest view: Cigarette tax could create dangerous atmosphere for smuggling, Belleville News Democrat, May 13.
- State offers companies cash, incentives to stay in Ill., WLS-TV ABC 7 News, May 12.
- Illinois House Takes Budget Behind Closed Doors, Illinois Statehouse News, May 8.
- Letter: Ryan Budget Offers Hope, State Journal-Register, May 3.
- George Will: Working up a tax storm in Illinois, Washington Post, April 29.