Judge Orders Pay for Illinois Lawmakers By STEVEN YACCINO Published: September 26, 2013 CHICAGO — A Cook County judge, in a ruling made public Thursday, held that Gov. Pat Quinn’s order this summer to withhold state legislators’ wages was unconstitutional. The judge ordered that the wages be paid immediately, but Mr. Quinn said he would appeal the decision. The ruling dealt a political blow to Mr. Quinn, a Democrat, who is expected to face a tough re-election battle next year. He has been pushing state legislators to reach an agreement on how to fix Illinois’s pension problems, which have crippled state bond ratings and cast a shadow over the governor’s tenure. Mr. Quinn suspended compensation for the Democratic-majority General Assembly in July after lawmakers ignored a deadline he set to address the state’s $100 billion pension liability, the most underfunded pension system in the nation. His line-item veto of an appropriations bill withheld legislators’ $67,836 salaries, as well as any stipends for members in leadership positions. John J. Cullerton, the president of the Senate, and Michael J. Madigan, the speaker of the House, sued Mr. Quinn, arguing that his action violated a section of the Illinois Constitution that says the salaries of members of the General Assembly cannot be changed in the middle of their term. In court last week, lawyers for the governor said that section of the Constitution should apply only to pay increases. But in a decision released Thursday, Neil H. Cohen, an associate judge for the Circuit Court of Cook County, ruled against Mr. Quinn. He ordered Judy Baar Topinka, the state comptroller, who was also named in the lawsuit, to immediately pay lawmakers the money that was withheld, plus back interest. Ms. Topinka said in a statement that she had instructed her staff to begin processing the paychecks Thursday. Mr. Cullerton praised the decision, saying it protected the separation of powers. “Now that the governor’s actions have been answered by a court, I trust that we can put aside all distractions and focus on the goal of pension reform,” he said, noting that a committee was making progress on a pension plan. But Mr. Quinn said in a statement that he intended to challenge the ruling and would seek a court stay to prevent paychecks from going out until a higher court considers the case. “Illinois’s pension crisis is costing taxpayers millions of dollars a day, robbing our children of the education and public safety services they desperately need, and holding our economy back from real recovery,” said Mr. Quinn, who has given up his own salary. He added, “Nobody in Springfield should get paid until the pension reform job gets done.”
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 03:39:41 +0000
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