The Speaker of the Illinois House, Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), said he is willing to consider cuts to the pension funds of state workers. The comments to reporters appear to open the door for further pension reform at the state level. Last year, the General Assembly voted to raise the retirement age for new state workers.

Madigan's comments on pensions come a day after he said that even with the income tax recently passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Pat Quinn, more "heavy lifting" is needed to fix the state's budget crisis.