https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Economy


Article

Illinois governor suspends salary of state legislature

Illinois governor suspends salary of state legislature

In an attempt to force comprehensive pension reform in Illinois, Governor Pat Quinn resorted to drastic measures. Quinn removed the salaries of the Illinois General Assembly from the budget bill, effectively withholding the legislature's paychecks until the pension problem is resolved.
  • Written by Taylor Skaggs
  • 15th July 2013

Last week, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn suspended the pay of state lawmakers in the General Assembly to force action on the state’s pension debt crisis.

Quinn used his position to force action regarding the state’s unfunded pension liability problem, the worst in America, according to the Chicagoist.com. According to CBS News, lawmakers in Illinois have skimped on payments to the five retirement systems in Illinois for decades, resulting in $100 billion of pension liability.

The General Assembly has received warnings since 2006 that failure to make the correct payments to state pension funds would lead to a financial disaster, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Illinois legislature has repeatedly failed to develop or pass a comprehensive pension program, leaving the issue unresolved, according to CNN News. The inability to solve the pension debt problem has led to multiple credit rating downgrades, resulting in Illinois paying extra interest of at least $130 million in a bond sale last month, according to CBS News.

Quinn used his line-item veto power on the budget, withholding the Illinois lawmakers’ $68,000 annual salaries until the pension problem is resolved, according to the Huffington Post.  "They must have that alarm bell ringing in their ears, and the best way to do that is to hit them in the wallet," Quinn said at a press conference in Chicago.

The affected Illinois lawmakers were frustrated by the governor’s decision, believing that his line-item veto was a political stunt that would create more problems, according to the Huffington Post. "The governor's actions today are as unproductive as [July 9] arbitrary deadline. Responsible leaders know that unworkable demands will only delay progress," Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton said in a statement.

The Illinois lawmakers have the power to reject any line-item vetoes made by the governor, but they have to vote to make the changes, according to CBS News. No vote has been scheduled yet.

Illinois comptroller Judy Baar Topinka has requested that her staff perform a legal review of Quinn’s actions over the next three weeks, according to the Chicago Tribune. Legal precedent in Illinois and the Illinois Constitution do not allow the governor to cut lawmakers’ pay during their term of office, according to Chicagoist.com.

According to the Chicago Tribune, lawmakers’ get their checks Aug. 1, which is the same time that the legal review will be completed. Quinn ordered his own pay to be withheld until the pension problem is resolved, and he defended his actions as being well within his rights as governor, according to CNN News. “I've tried everything in the book to get their attention, but it's time now for the legislature to legislate,” Quinn said in a press conference.

Tags: Economy Article

Related


  • Senate American Rescue Plan includes more than $60 million in direct aid for counties
    The U.S. Senate’s version of the 2021 American Rescue Plan maintains the $350 billion in state and local aid that was in the House bill, including $60.1 billion in direct aid to counties. The U.S. Senate begin debating its version March 4. The House of Representatives passed its version of the $1.9 trillion bill Feb. […]
  • American City & County’s 2020 Crown Communities Awards
    Projects nominated for American City & County's annual Crown Communities Awards are judged on uniqueness, short- and long-term value to the community and effective/innovative financing.
  • Online sales tax collections proving essential for many state and local governments during COVID-19
    Many state and local government budgets rely heavily on sales tax collections. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, general sales tax collections took a major hit as businesses were forced to close and in-person spending almost came to a stop. Still, nearly a year into the pandemic, in-person sales have mostly resumed across the country but […]
  • Bridging the digital divide by fostering digital inclusion and economic recovery
    The benefits of bridging the digital divide go beyond social responsibility. There are distinct economic returns attached to getting the unconnected online.

One comment

  1. Avatar Anonymous 16th July 2013 @ 3:43 pm
    Reply

    Hurrah!!! Quinn for
    Hurrah!!! Quinn for President.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Revenue realities for state and local governments in the time of Coronavirus
  • Are you letting your CARES Act funding go to waste?
  • El Paso P3 partnering across borders for a shared mission: COVID recovery
  • Federal coronavirus aid stalled, local government leaders dismayed

White papers


Discover How Public Sector Officials are Monitoring and Managing Overtime in This New White Paper

22nd February 2021

How to Assemble a Successful Government Grant Proposal

5th February 2021

The Rise of Procurement’s Next Normal

5th February 2021
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities winner: El Paso County, Texas’ pretrial justice modernization dlvr.it/Rv4GKL

6th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

A city’s innovative downtown master plan sees future in local, inclusive placemaking dlvr.it/Rv3SfM

5th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities winner: Gainesville, Fla. closes Dignity Village and houses its homeless population dlvr.it/Rv1GS2

5th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities Winner: South Bay Cities Council of Governments’ South Bay Fiber Network dlvr.it/Rv10b7

5th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

Senate American Rescue Plan includes more than $60 million in direct aid for counties dlvr.it/RtzvBK

4th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

ASCE releases 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure dlvr.it/Rtvck5

3rd March 2021
AmerCityCounty

Updating the assessor report: A new approach dlvr.it/RttvDv

3rd March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities winner: Phases 2 and 3 of Minot, N.D.’s Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Plan dlvr.it/RtrWMC

3rd March 2021

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X