Is your state representative or senator paying into the pension system? Pension reform has been a hot topic in Illinois in recent years with the Illinois budget far from balanced and many saying the state's pension funds are part of the problem because they are taking up more and more of the total budget. In three years, Illinoisans will spend one-third of all our state-generated revenue on pensions. The Illinois Supreme Court signaled recently that an attempt at pension changes approved last December might not hold up in court.
Some Illinois lawmakers (26 of them, actually), Democrats and Republicans, state representatives and senators, have chosen to forgo the pensions they are entitled to through the General Assembly Retirement System.
Here are 10 lawmakers who have opted out of their General Assembly pensions:
State Rep. John Anthony (R-Plainfield)
State Rep. Kelly Burke (D-Evergreen Park)
State Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake)
State Rep. John Cabello (R-Machesney Park)
State Rep. Katherine Cloonen (D-Kankakee)
State Sen. Thomas Cullerton (D-Villa Park)
State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville)
State Rep. Scott Drury (D-Highwood)
State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Charleston)
State Rep. Josh Harms (R-Watseka)
See if your lawmaker was one who opted out by checking out the other 16 at Reboot Illinois.
Lawmakers aren't the only ones thinking about retirement, but in order to start saving for the future, Illinoisans must be employed first. Chicago is the state's biggest job market and it has job openings in many industries, but it can be overwhelming to think of where to start. We've got a list of openings in the Chicago area in the health care field at Reboot Illinois from Linked-In. Use it to jump start your search.