Illinois Times: Municipal pensions eat more, but they’re still hungry
Posted on Thursday January 26, 2012
Illinois Times reports: Whether the city of Springfield is facing a pension crisis in police and firefighter retirement systems depends on who’s doing the talking. Mayor Mike Houston and Bill McCarty, director of the city’s budget and management office, say that while pension costs are always a concern, the city is in relatively good shape. More

Crains: Speaker Madigan Forms Special Pension Committee
Posted on Thursday January 19, 2012
Crains Chicago Business reports that House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) is creating a special committee to investigate how the 5 state-funded pensions systems are investing their money. In an unusual move, the Speaker has appointed House Republican Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Plainfield) to chair the committee. More

National League of Cities President Urges Job Creation
Posted on Thursday January 19, 2012
Ted Ellis, President of the National League of Cities and mayor of Bluffton, Indiana, recently issued a statement encouraging Congress to focus on job creation and strengthening of local economies. More

Daily Herald Editorializes In Support of PSEBA Reform
Posted on Tuesday January 17, 2012
An editorial was published that calls on the General Assembly to introduce reforms into Illinois' Public Safety Employee Benefits Act (PSEBA), which serves to provide health insurance premiums to police officers and firefighters killed or injured in the line of duty. This editorial provides insight on the importance of PSEBA, but also takes a closer look at technicalities to ensure that the program is functioning in the most efficient way. More

State Journal-Register: Lawmakers Named to Pension Reform Group
Posted on Tuesday January 17, 2012
The State Journal-Register reports that the four legislative leaders have named representatives to Governor Quinn's pension reform working group. The four legislators include Senator Michael Noland (D-Elgin), Senator Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), Representative Elaine Nekritz (D-Des Plaines), and Representative Darlene Senger (R-Naperville). More

The End of State-Collected Local Government Revenue?
Posted on Monday April 25, 2011
The risk of losing state-collected local government revenue is higher than ever. State leaders and policy organizations are vocalizing support for cutting these critical revenues. Now is the time to act to protect core community services. More