Welcome to the next step of the effort to solve Illinois’ chronic pension underfunding: the politics of it all.
It’s hard enough to develop promising ideas, as the Civic Committee has done. But it will mean little if the ideas can’t attract political support.
“There’s a lot of people in the General Assembly, and a lot of people who represent public employee unions, who think that continuing to strengthen pensions and solve some of those problems out there are priorities,” said former state Rep. Greg Harris, a lead budget negotiator for years. “But now there’s just a lot of other very equally important needs for a lot of folks.
“Chris” Welch, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, Senate President Don Harmon and Senate Minority Leader John Curran. Sources in two of the leaders’ offices told me not to make too much of the meetings: The discussion has been perfunctory so far.The Civic Committee enters the fray carrying baggage that is visible to many of the players. This goes beyond its public opposition to the graduated income tax — still clearly a sore subject with the Pritzker administration.
The Civic Committee would need to persuade Pritzker, legislative leaders and key rank-and-file lawmakers. Springfield legislative sources told me the group’s proposed tax hike may not even be introduced in the General AssemblyUnion support will be key, too. Representatives of the Civic Committee have met with leaders of several private-sector unions.
Might there be a way, say, to add a new pension tax, levied only on individuals and companies earning above a certain amount? Even in a flat-tax state, such a plan might pass constitutional review.
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