BY MIKE CETERA
The Legislature wasn't in session last week, so no roundup of how your local lawmaker voted. Instead, check out this interesting piece about some politicians looking to appease unions -- again -- at the expense of taxpayers.
Some lawmakers are trying to add tollway workers and others to an alternative pension formula that was supposed to be used only for retired law enforcement officers, writes columnist Kristen McQuery of the SouthtownStar.
The alternative formula is a sweeter, softer, cushier pension offering that takes into consideration the dangerous, stressful occupations of policemen and women. In general, it allows them to retire with 25 years of service at age 50, earning up to 80 percent of their pay - and their pay rises annually to reflect a cost of living adjustment.Throughout the years, the General Assembly, to please labor unions, has added state pilots, conservation officers, corrections officers, Department of Revenue inspectors, secretary of state investigators and several other clout-heavy professionals to the formula.
Kristen refers to House Resolution 1702 in her column, a resolution that I can't find. I think she's referring to House Bill 1702, which hasn't been updated online with the new pension language.
Still, House lawmakers took a vote on a similar measure last year. House Bill 1723 "provides the alternative (State police) retirement formula for certain automotive mechanics employed by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority who are assigned to retrieve or repair State vehicles on State highways or tollways and certain sign hangers employed by the Department of Transportation."
The bill notes the state is on the hook for $50,000 to $185,000 more per person in pension obljgations under this bill, which passed the House, but stalled in the Senate.
Fox Valley yes votes: Chapa LaVia, Pritchard
Fox Valley no votes: Cross, Dunn, Lindner, Schmitz
A number of groups -- for years -- have been calling for pension reform because of the state's escalating future obligations and lawmakers' inability to set aside adequate money to pay for these obligations.
From the Heartland Institute:
...Illinois is facing a serious public pension fund crisis due to systematic underpayment of the state's obligations for more than 25 years. Addressing the crisis will require one or more of the following options: increase revenues to the state, divert current revenues from other spending priorities, reduce benefits for current or future state employees, or change the state's retirement plans from defined benefit to defined contribution plans.
And we wonder why state finances are a mess. Tell your lawmaker to stop giving more handouts until current obligations are met.
How could those two rep's support this bill. Our group C.O.N.P.A. has been attepting to expose the policies of Linda Casta -lavia for several months. Many aurora citizens have said enuff is enuff. Let'
s put her back into private industry. She fails to support legal citizen asking APD to cooperate with ICE.