Issue Position: Public Pension Reform

Issue Position

Public Pension Reform
My mom folded laundry at the Kankakee State Hospital for 30 years, and she lives on a state pension. Illinois' pension system may outlive her, but there's somebody out there who's now working for the state and will someday get a pension check written on an account that's overdrawn.

Illinois' public pensions are underfunded by $100 billion, and the state is adding millions of dollars to that debt every day. Both the Madigan and Cullerton proposals to change the current system do nothing but kick the can down the road.

To assure that pension promises that have been made in the past will be kept, and to strengthen the system going forward, we need real pension reform now. When elected, I will add my name as a co-sponsor of House Bill 3303, which protects current pensions while moving state employees to a defined contribution pension model. By doing so, we will empower employees while protecting Illinois taxpayers.

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