Illinois General Assembly quickly passes pension reforms
State legislators swiftly approved a bill that would raise the retirement age for future government employees and force them to wait longer to collect on their pensions.
The bill, passed last night in the Senate after it sailed throught the House, would not affect anyone who is currently in the retirement system.
The goal of the bill, hinted by Senate President John Cullerton earlier this year, is to save taxpayers billions of dollars on retirement benefits for public servants.
Labor groups have resisted the measure, arguing that it unfairly burden's workers with the state's budget problems, and other critics have said it will fall short of fixing Illinois' dramatically underfunded pension system.
But it met praise from state Democrats and Republicans alike. Just 23 Illinois lawmakers voted against it in the entire Legislature; 140 voted for it.
'Taco' trouble for Rep. Davis
Rep. Monique Davis had problems before this week, when she was in the news for keeping a Chicago State University statue in her district office.
Now, it's her words, not her possessions, that are getting her in trouble.
Arguing against licensing for hair-braiders in the state, Davis used a series of racial and ethnic stereotypes to make her point at the state House. (audio)
"You cannot license Chinese people to make Chinese food," Davis said yesterday. "You cannot license Latino people to make tacos. ... And you should not have to license African-American women to braid someone's hair."
Davis apologized after several Latino legislators publicly expressed offense.
"I'm so appalled of what, the statement that was made on the House floor," Rep. Edward Acevedo said.
Boland leaves lieutenant governor's race
State Sen. Susan Garrett may be Gov. Pat Quinn's favorite right now, but state Rep. Art Turner got a boost yesterday when fellow House Democrat Mike Boland removed himself from consideration in the lieutenant governor's race.
Boland, one of 17 finalists, endorsed Turner, the second-highest vote-getter in the February primary. The Democratic primary winner, Scott Lee Cohen, dropped his bid after allegations of domestic violence and steriod use proved unpopular with state party leaders.
Turner has been lobbying for nomination to the state's No. 2 post since Cohen left the race. Garrett, who backed David Hoffman in the U.S. Senate race and has opposed Quinn's tax proposal, represents a suburban district north of Chicago.
Boland's wife, Mary, is a member of the Democratic State Central Committee, which has been vetting finalists for lieutenant governor and will play crucial role in the final selection.