Pay or Not, North Shore Legislators Keep Working

North Shore members of the Illinois General Assembly remain focused on passing a law to ease the state’s public employee pension burden despite the legal maneuvering going on between Gov. Patrick Quinn and legislative leadership.

Quinn used his amendatory veto power July 10 to suspend pay to members of the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives and House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and Senate President John Cullerton filed suit Tuesday to overturn the governor’s action, according to Reuters.

“This is not going to interfere with our work in any way,” state Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-Northbrook) said. “We’re continuing to do our work. We are having meaningful negotiations and discussions.”

Author of the House version of pension reform legislation which passed the lower chamber and was defeated by the Senate, Nekritz is a member of the conference committee trying to reconcile the house and senate versions of the legislation.

Nekritz made it clear she will continue to work on a solution whether she receives a paycheck or not. State Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) and state Rep. Scott Drury (D-Highwood) agree. Drury dismissed the quarrel between Quinn, Madigan and Cullerton.

“The political theater taking place between the Governor and the legislative leaders is a side show in which I do not wish to engage,” Drury said. “Instead, I will continue to work on fixing our broken State.”

Morrison and Nekritz are both concerned the governor’s action could broaden his power to suspend pay for the legislature when he disagrees with action on any issue, not only pension reform.

“His decision to veto the legislature’s pay represents a real threat to our democracy’s separation of powers and is distracting from the real work being accomplished by the committee charged with developing a solution that can pass the House and Senate,” Morrison said.

The latest spat among leadership has not diminished the importance Drury, Nekritz and Morrison place on pension reform. “This was the most pressing issue when I ran and it remains so today,” Morrison said.

Illinois lawmakers are among the highest paid in the nation, according to the Better Government Association.

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