Tom Kacich: Rauner offers glimmer of hope on pension plan

Tom Kacich: Rauner offers glimmer of hope on pension plan share

Tom Kacich: Rauner offers glimmer of hope on pension plan

Sun, 01/17/2016 - 7:00am | Tom Kacich

 

If you're looking for something good amid all the rotten news in Illinois, here's a little something: Gov. Bruce Rauner says there's some agreement on the fundamentals of a pension reform plan.

That's not to say that a deal is imminent, he cautioned.

"The president of the Senate (John Cullerton) and I agree on what it's going to take to have a constitutional pension reform, and the speaker's staff is not disagreeing. I can't say they'll be out there proactively being positive, but they're not really disagreeing. And that's a big deal," Rauner said.

It's a big deal if it gets worked out, resulting in "billions of dollars in pension savings at the universities as well as school districts and state government," the governor said.

But state employee unions already indicated opposition to Cullerton's plan, which is said to include a provision that makes employees choose between retaining cost-of-living increases in retirement or taking pay raises now. That may not be the offer made to employees.

"We have now the agreement of what would be constitutional. Now we just need to work out — and the devil is in the details — which parts of compensation should be used for consideration. We're talking about that right now," Rauner said.

"Will we get a bill done? I've introduced my bill, and I've said to the General Assembly, 'Introduce one. You passed 530 bills last year.'

"I love pumpkin pie, but you know what? They're not doing their job, and we have a crisis in pensions, and they didn't introduce a pension bill. Let's this year do only 50 bills, but let's have them be bills that matter: pensions, schools, local control, term limits."

He makes it sound so simple.

Above is from:  http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2016-01-17/tom-kacich-rauner-offers-glimmer-hope-pension-plan.html