Leaders to discuss pension mess: December special session could follow

Friday, November 22, 2013

SPRINGFIELD — The search for a way out of Illinois’ pension mess continues on Thursday when the state’s legislative leaders meet in a closed-door negotiating session in Chicago.

The morning meeting could be one of the final pow-wows in the run-up to a possible vote on a pension overhaul by rank-and-file lawmakers in early December.

While nothing is formally scheduled yet, Democrats in the House have asked lawmakers to be ready to return to the Capitol on Dec. 3 in hopes an agreement can be reached on a plan to close a nearly $100 billion unfunded liability gap in the state’s employee retirement systems.