62 former state lawmakers receiving more than $100K pensions

By Ben Szalinski

06/05/2020

Illinois’ broken pension system puts $100,000 a year or more into the hands of 62 former state lawmakers. It has paid more than $1 million to 94 of them.

TAGS: Arthur L. Berman, Barbara Flynn Currie, GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, Jim Edgar, lawmaker pay, Lou Lang, Pat Quinn, pensions

Illinois pensions 101: Paltry contributions yield million-dollar payouts

By Adam Schuster

01/17/2020

Across all five state retirement systems, typical career workers pay for about 5% of the cost of their pension benefits. They receive an average of $1.7 million to $3.6 million.

TAGS: Edgar Ramp, firefighter pensions, GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, government employees, government services, government unions, government workers, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Jim Edgar, JRS: Judges’ Retirement System, municipal government, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, police pensions, public sector, retirement age, Rod Blagojevich, SERS: State Employee Retirement System, Social Security, social services, Springfield, SURS: State Universities Retirement System, tax hikes, tax increase, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

Illinois Tollway overcharged drivers $152K last year by not giving change

By Brad Weisenstein

01/10/2020

The Illinois Tollway is spending $33 million on toll machines, some of which can’t make change. The state agency’s legacy is broken promises, political patronage and overcharging Illinoisans.

TAGS: Bruce Rauner, corruption, George Ryan, I-Pass, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois State Toll Highway Commission, Illinois Tollway, Jim Edgar, Jim Thompson, Rod Blagojevich, Springfield, tollway

Former Chicago official had side job with red-light camera company

By Ben Szalinski

11/15/2019

The former deputy aviation commissioner had an undisclosed position as a sales representative for SafeSpeed LLC. The red-light camera vendor keeps emerging in federal probes.

TAGS: Board of Ethics, Chicago, Chicago Board of Ethics, Chicago City Hall, Chicago Department of Aviation, Cook County, Cook County commissioner, department of aviation, federal investigation, IDOT: Illinois Department of Transportation, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, investigation, Jim Edgar, Martin Sandoval, red light cameras, SafeSpeed, Springfield

CTBA pension plan: Unsound, unfair and unaffordable

By Adam Schuster

11/26/2018

A pension plan pushed by one Illinois think tank fails to reform the state’s broken pension system and risks repeating costly mistakes. Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker shouldn’t be fooled and should instead endorse meaningful, lasting reform.

TAGS: CTBA: Center for Budget and Tax Accountability, debt, Edgar Ramp, JB Pritzker, Jim Edgar, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions

58 former Illinois state lawmakers collecting six-figure pensions

By Joe Barnas

11/06/2018

Former lawmakers receive generous benefits from the state’s worst-run retirement fund.

TAGS: Arthur L. Berman, COLA: cost of living adjustment, GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, Jim Edgar, lawmaker pay, pensions

Damage from Edgar ramp obscured by dotcom boom

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

10/25/2016

Former Gov. Jim Edgar’s pension compromise with House Speaker Mike Madigan in the 1990s set the state’s pension funds down an unsustainable road.

TAGS: Edgar Ramp, Jim Edgar, pensions

Former Gov. Edgar’s ‘compromise’ pension plan led to Illinois’ fiscal crisis

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

06/09/2016

Under former Gov. Jim Edgar’s pension ramp, unfunded pension liabilities have increased nearly $100 billion despite taxpayers contributing $16.4 billion more to the five state-run pension systems than required under the Edgar plan.

TAGS: Jim Edgar, pensions

Five reasons why Madigan’s pension fix is a step backward

11/29/2013

There’s immense pressure on Illinois legislators to pass a pension bill. With the state pension system nearing insolvency and credit agencies warning of further downgrades, the perceived wisdom is that any pension fix, no matter how small, is a “step forward” that must be passed. But when it comes to pension reform in Illinois, that...

TAGS: COLA: cost of living adjustment, Jim Edgar, Pat Quinn, pensions, retirement age

To prevent political bribery in Illinois, change the House Rules

Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s power over Illinois politics is more precarious than ever. A steady stream of federal investigations, wiretaps and raids of people close to him, a deferred prosecution agreement with Commonwealth Edison wherein the utility giant admitted to bribing the speaker, and a grand jury subpoena served to Madigan’s office have led...

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To prevent political bribery in Illinois, change the House Rules

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Carrie Schindler

Policy lessons from Illinois’ exodus of people and money

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students