SPRINGFIELD—State Representative Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) voted today in the Illinois House to support a Constitutional Amendment requiring a 3/5 supermajority vote in the General Assembly to adopt any additional enhancements to the state’s pension systems.
âThis is a small step we needed to take to begin restoring stability to both our state budget and our state pension systems,â said Durkin. âThis is just start. We cannot leave Springfield this session until meaningful structural changes have been made.â
House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 49 will put before the voters in the fall the question of whether a 3/5ths supermajority vote of both the Illinois House and Senate should be required to pass legislation that enhances state pension benefits.
âOne of the biggest reasons our pension systems are in crisis is that in good economic times it was just too easy to pass pension sweeteners that we simply canât afford. This measure will not change current pension benefits, but if approved by the voters statewide, it will force any legislator wanting to add additional benefits in the future to make a much stronger case for their necessity.