NIU Today

Dear Colleagues, I am writing to you today to update you with some very important information relative to the very fluid pension debate in the General Assembly in Springfield. Thursday afternoon, the Illinois Senate approved an amended version of Senate Bill 2404, a union-backed proposal sponsored by Senate President John Cullerton that offers Tier I...

The presidents and chancellors of the 14 public universities in Illinois have unanimously endorsed a six-point proposal for addressing the state’s pension funding crisis as it relates to the State Universities Retirement System (SURS), and in a letter to the governor and legislative leaders they called it “a thoughtful and responsible approach.” “We write to...

A committee of lawmakers in Springfield endorsed a proposal Monday that would enact sweeping changes to the state’s employee pension system. Under the plan endorsed by the House Personnel and Pensions Committee (on a 6-3 vote) the changes would include: A six-year suspension of the annual 3 percent cost of living increase currently given to retirees....

A group of Illinois university professors and administrators has released a plan to reform the retirement system for university employees. An Institute of Government and Public Affairs proposal released Monday recommends letting workers trade a portion of their guaranteed benefits for a lump-sum payment which would go into a self-managed retirement account. “Consideration of a...

In Springfield … The Illinois General Assembly reconvenes from Tuesday, Nov. 27, to Thursday, Nov. 29 and from Tuesday, Dec. 4, to Thursday, Dec. 6, for its Fall Veto Session. We also anticipate that the General Assembly will reconvene in early January 2013 for a “Lame Duck” session before the 98th Illinois General Assembly is inaugurated...

In Washington, D.C. … Congress begins a five-week Summer Recess. Prior to adjourning, Congressional leaders and the White House agreed to a bi-partisan deal that will keep the government funded for six months, through March 31, 2013, at a level consistent with the 2013 level ($1.047 trillion) set forth in the Budget Control Act passed...

In Washington, D.C. … Officials of the U.S. Department of Education today unveiled the Obama administration’s college financial aid “shopping sheet,” which was developed jointly with the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The shopping sheet, while allowing individual institutions to provide customized information, provides a number of common elements regarding a student’s financial aid...

Presidents and chancellors of public universities in the State of Illinois sent letters Thursday, May 3, to Gov. Pat Quinn as well as Illinois General Assembly leaders Michael Madigan, John Cullerton, Christine Radogno and Tom Cross. The letters outlined a statement of 10 objectives for stabilization of the State Universities Retirement System that is fair...

In Springfield … The majority of activity in both the Illinois Senate and Illinois House of Representatives last week and again this week will involve trying to move substantive bills through committees The deadline to get bills out of committee is Friday, May 4. House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 49 (HJRCA 49), sponsored by Speaker...

NIU President John G. Peters emailed this important message to faculty, staff and annuitants earlier today. Dear Colleagues, Friday afternoon Governor Quinn outlined the framework of his plan to resolve the state’s pension funding crisis. Briefly, the Governor’s proposal provides for 100% funding for pension systems by 2042 by making the following changes to the...

In Springfield … Last week, Gov. Pat Quinn released his plan for cutting the FY2013 Illinois Medicaid program by approximately $2.7 billion, the level of reductions he believes are needed to stabilize the Medicaid system in Illinois and prevent its collapse. There are three components to the governor’s plan: $2 billion (75 percent) reductions, a $1...

In Springfield … The Illinois General Assembly returns this week from a two-week spring break. Lawmakers are now scheduled in weekly until they are expected to convene by May 31. If they go past this deadline, a super-majority is required to pass any bill. Members of the Governor’s Work Group on Pension Reform is scheduled to...