News Local/State

Gov. Quinn to Call Leaders Together on Pensions

 

Gov. Pat Quinn says he will call legislative leaders together in the next week to come up with a fix for the state's $97 billion pension crisis.

Quinn issued a statement Friday, shortly after the Illinois House adjourned without a pension reform deal and a Senate spokeswoman said that chamber wouldn't take any more pension votes.

The Chicago Democrat says the people of Illinois want the Legislature to put an agreement on his desk. He says they don't want lawmakers to "play a $17 million-a-day game with the future of our state, our children and our economy.''

Illinois has the nation's worst state pension shortfall.

The governor's office says the unfunded pension liability grows by $17 million per day, squeezing out funding for education and other areas of the budget.