(MCT) — Negotiations between Gov. Pat Quinn and legislative leaders about public employee pension reform hit another roadblock Thursday, with talks morphing from a discussion about retirement benefits to education funding equality in Illinois.
The issues became entwined as Democrats continue to push a proposal that would shift some pension costs the state now pays to suburban and Downstate school districts. Republicans oppose the plan, saying it would force property taxes to rise as schools try to recoup the extra costs.
GOP leaders say the cost-shift proposal should not be connected to pension reform because it's a school funding issue, and on Thursday they asked for more time to study how money is distributed to schools across the state.
Quinn said Senate Republicans requested a year to go over the facts. But the Democratic governor would only agree to give them five weeks, saying that every day pension reforms don't happen the system adds $12.6 million to the existing $83 billion debt.
"We'll give them all the information, have all the studies that we can possibly muster, but ultimately we have to come to moving the ball forward," Quinn said. "We have to get fundamental, comprehensive pension reform."
A spokeswoman for Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno, of Lemont, said she did not ask for a year to go over education data but suggested it could take months and stretch into next year.
Earlier this week, Quinn's office released information that it says shows schools could easily absorb the extra pension costs when phased in over several years. But Republicans say the data raised more questions than answers.
By asking for more time to study education funding, Republicans are attempting to force Democrats to back away from the cost-shift idea. Either Democrats peel that portion off and move forward with broader pension reforms this summer or Republicans can put the blame on Democrats for inaction during the fall election.
"When you don't want to talk about the free lunches for local school districts, you talk about school funding," said House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago.
But Madigan said he was confident that an agreement eventually could be reached, saying it can be difficult to move plans forward in Springfield "but if you stay with it, there will be accomplishments."
"This is a lingering issue. We're continuing to work on the issue, we're not walking away from it," Madigan said. "It's very complicated."
