Springfield, Ill. – The focus is on gerrymandering and pensions this week said State Senator Dan Duffy (R- Lake Barrington), who explained that the third public hearing of the Senate Redistricting Committee has been scheduled for Sept. 22.

Also this week, a Senate task force on pensions met to discuss the state’s massive pension debt, and offer tentative solutions to reducing Illinois’ pension obligations. Senator Duffy said that Illinois has consistently held the dubious distinction of claiming the worst pension funding problem in the nation.

Gerrymandering reform will again be the topic at the third public hearing of the Illinois Senate Committee on Redistricting, which will be on Tuesday, Sept. 22 in Peoria. The hearing will begin at 12:00 p.m. and will be held in Bradley University's Hartmann Theatre Center, located at 1453 St. James Street.

Among those scheduled to testify at the hearing will be Brad McMillan of Bradley University's Institute for Principled Leadership in Public Service. McMillan is a member of the Illinois Reform Commission, which has proposed a major reform of Illinois' redistricting laws to reduce  political gerrymandering – the drawing of legislative and congressional districts to provide an automatic advantage either to a political party or to incumbent officeholders.

Senator Duffy said that the hearing will allow witnesses and guest speakers to present proposals for redistricting reform in Illinois.

Also this week, the Senate Pension System Modernization Task Force met Sept. 16. As Illinois’ burgeoning pension debt continues to grow, state leaders have met with business groups and unions to discuss possible solutions to reduce the state’s overwhelming pension obligations.

Task force members heard from state retirees, as well teachers unions, the Civic Federation and Gov. Pat Quinn’s staff. A representative from the Quinn administration presented the Governor’s key recommendations, which focus on funding and revenue enhancements. Quinn is once again pushing an income tax hike as a way to increase state revenues.

The Governor is also encouraging the Task Force to consider taxes on retiree benefits and raising contributions for all employees, as well as creating a new system that would offer fewer benefits to new hires.

The Task Force has plans to convene three subcommittees on Oct. 2, which include a Funding Subcommittee, Benefits Subcommittee and a Collective Bargaining Subcommittee. These subcommittees are charged with assembling a Final Report to submit to the General Assembly; however, any recommendations on the state’s pension benefits must meet with 75 percent approval from the Benefits Subcommittee members to be included in the final report.

Though Illinois’ woefully underfunded retirement systems have been criticized for years, state pensions were recently the focus of the Chicago Sun-Times investigation “Pension Bonanza.” The Sun-Times editorial board strongly advocated for pension reforms, including ending the practice of working at one government job, while collecting a pension at another government job (“double-dipping”); the collection of automatic, annual 3 percent pension increases; the taxing of pensions; and reducing benefits for new hires.