Since the news broke on Sunday, I have spent the week holding briefings and meetings to work towards formulating a platform for local pension reform. Click here to see my discussion on yesterday's national Fox News broadcast.

Below is my pension reform platform. Through these actions, my goal is to improve oversight, transparency and accountability.

1. Appoint an independent Inspector General to investigate pension funds.
2. Create an on-line accountability portal to have all compensation packages listed for local government executives.
3. Require a fiscal note in writing from the overseeing pension board outlining the total cost to any board before compensation votes are taken.
4. Close any further loopholes that allow for end of career compensation spikes.
5. Legislate (I am a co-sponsor of HB 6866) to use both salary and service times to determine the portion of pension to be paid by affected districts (now just service time is used across an employee's total payout.)
6. Ask the Illinois Attorney General for an opinion if fraud was committed in Highland Park and other cases and, if so, if any fraudulent spiking can be retrieved from recipients.
7. Do not permit cars, or unused vacation or sick days to be rolled into final average salary calculations.
8. No double dipping. Retirees should not be able to receive pension payments from and work as independent contractors to the same employer.
9. All reform will need to be within the bounds of what is permitted and protected under Article 13 of the Illinois Constitution. We should appoint a blue-ribbon panel to sort through legal opinions and analysis on the constitutionality of proposed reforms.

I will be holding hearings with an eye towards creating comprehensive legislation, not just a band-aid or single perspective legislation.

Please note that we knew in general that pension spiking was an issue and passed PA 96-889 this year, which will prevent most of this going forward in terms of pensionable salary caps and service year calculations. PA 96-889 caps maximum pensionable salary at $106, 800 (the current Social Security Wage Base) and uses the highest consecutive eight years out of ten years of service for final average salary calculations (as opposed to the current use of four years). However, we need to do more.

My intention is not to reduce promised benefits, but rather to ensure the stability of pension funds so monies for payments will be available over the long-run. Pension spikes impact the stability of funds and result in the use of reserves, diminishing funds available for all other qualified recipients and resulting in local taxpayers bearing an increased burden.

This is a first draft of points to be covered in legislation I am drafting. I look forward to your input and ideas.

Several constituents contacted me about the traffic congestion on Route 22 crossing Route 41, and on Route 41 heading south toward Park Avenue. I contacted the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and I am pleased to say that they have agreed to make these immediate changes which will affect traffic flow:

• The left turn lanes from southbound Route 41 to Park Avenue West will be extended approximately 100 feet, thus alleviating some of the backup on 41.
• IDOT's field engineer adjusted the traffic signal timing at the intersection of Route 22 and Route 41 earlier this week, allowing more cars to turn south onto Route 41. This should provide an immediate improvement on Route 22.

Traffic impacts so much of our daily living and I always want to hear constituent suggestions for improvement on our state roads. In this and many other situations in the District, I appreciate such prompt action from IDOT.

email: karen@repkarenmay.org

phone: (847) 433-9100

web: http://www.repkarenmay.org