They were two lawsuits filed
this week in Sangamon County, home of Springfield, that challenges
reductions in health care payments made to state employees and retirees. The
lawsuits claim that legislation Quinn signed into law last month
concerning state worker health care premiums violates the pension clause
of Illinois’ constitution.
Even if the lawsuits are unsuccessful,
they may complicate stalled efforts to reduce pension benefits. “Illinois has
an unusually strong constitutional provision,” says Ron Snell, a senior
fellow at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), who has
studied state efforts to reduce pension costs. Read more »
The 
Progressives can get frustrated with Democrats in election years: The
party sometimes runs away from signature accomplishments, such as the
creation and expansion of the social safety net, in fear of being labeled
tax-and-spend liberals.
AFSCME Local Council 31, which represents state corrections workers,
forcefully argued in Springfield today that Gov. Pat Quinn’s planned
prison closings put an overcrowded system over the edge – and could lead
to more prison violence.
That is the conclusion of a new 