Who are we?

The Illinois Is Broke Campaign is made up of concerned organizations and citizens from across the state – including business executives, civic organizations and social service agencies, small business owners and employees, parents and students. This effort was initiated by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

We are unified by a common concern for the future of Illinois – its economy, the public services it provides, its business climate and its quality of life. The state is on the brink of insolvency – the consequences of which would impact every person in Illinois.

We have joined together to say: Enough is enough!

The state's budget must be reformed – key programs must be restructured and we must live within our means. The largest problem is an obsolete and costly retirement system for public employees. The Illinois Legislature recently enacted needed reforms for future employees – those not yet hired – but it did not go far enough. We support Senate Bill 512, which restructures the state’s pension plans for current employees, protecting what employees have already earned, while making future benefits more affordable to the citizens of Illinois. The state must implement these and other budget reforms, and develop a multi-year plan to balance the budget, to restore Illinois to financial stability.

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