Emanuel Urges Rauner To Sign Police And Fire Pension Reform
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel is outlining why he believes Gov. Bruce Rauner should be enthusiastic about signing legislation to give the city more time to make payments to its police and firefighter pension funds.
The governor's office has said he is not inclined to sign the pension measure approved by Democratic lawmakers without passage of his so-called "Turnaround Agenda," but Emanuel said there's every reason for Rauner to support the pension plan.
Firstly, Emanuel said the police and fire pension measures were in Rauner's budget plan.
"He supports it, because he put it in his bill. He said that. Two, it puts the police and fire payment on the same schedule that the state of Illinois' own four pensions are on a payment schedule. Third, the governor is for local control," he said.
The mayor said the police and fire pension legislation was worked out with unions, and doesn't tax residents more than necessary.
"If he signs the bill, which is consistent with all the other principles he's outlined, we won't have to ask people to pay more in taxes than they have to. We have done the hard thing of working through the issue with police and fire. We have done the hard thing of passing it in both chambers," Emanuel said.
The measure was sent to the governor's desk on March 31, and Rauner has 60 days to act, or it automatically becomes law.