CHICAGO - Last Friday, House Speaker Mike Madigan called the Illinois House to convene for a one-day session August 17th. A House committee decided last week to move forward with an effort to oust Democratic State Rep. Derrick Smith of Chicago from his Illinois House seat. Smith has been charged with bribery associated with his office. He pled not guilty.
But Governor Quinn said Friday he would like the Illinois House to also use the session to decide what to do about the state’s troubled pension systems. When the legislative session adjourned at the end of May, pension reform talks had stalled.
Many state lawmakers speculate that nothing will be done to correct the state's $130 Billion pension deficit until after the November election. and most are not sure any substantial changes will be addressed even then.
