Tagged: Senator John Sullivan

Democratic Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) support a proposal to shift the pension funding burden from the state to local school districts.

But State Senator John Sullivan (D-Rushville) said there are good reasons to oppose the plan.

“It's a triple whammy for the districts,” Sullivan said. He pointed out:

1) Local districts would be burdened with the responsibility for a major expense.

2) State financial support for school districts continues to decline.

State Senator John Sullivan (D-Rushville) says everything is on the table when it comes reforming Medicaid in Illinois.

Governor Pat Quinn proposed a $2.7-billion dollar cut to the program in his budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. 

Sullivan told a crowd of 50 during a town hall meeting in Hamilton that some savings can be found through the scaling back of programs and the elimination of waste and fraud.

In his budget address, Governor Pat Quinn, said three-quarters of Illinois'  pension burden is for people who don't work for the state. It covers some of the pension costs for teachers and others who are employees of local government bodies.

State Senator John Sullivan (D-47)  said the state must bring all the stakeholders to the negotiating table to find a long-term solution to funding pensions.