If Illinois lawmakers do not address the state’s growing pension
crisis, essential investments in education, health care, and human
services will continue to be cut, according to a recent report (PDF) from the Fiscal Policy Center at Voices For Illinois Children.
“All
Illinois residents—including the youngest among us — are paying the price
for Illinois’ decades-long failure to make adequate contributions to
the state-funded pension plans,” the report, titled “Pension Funding
Crisis Worsens” (PDF) reads. “The General Assembly is well aware of the
harmful effects of rising pension costs on the rest of the budget.
However, progress toward a solution has stalled — making the situation
worse.”
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A group of education activists boarded a bus to Springfield this morning to campaign for a moratorium on school closings in 
Improving the public’s understanding of how the Illinois
state budget works will contribute to better policy decisions by elected
officials, according to a new policy brief from the Fiscal Policy
Center at Voices For Illinois Children.