NIU Today

University and other state employees could be on the verge of losing the free health insurance received in retirement, as legislation to end the benefit was approved 31-20 in the state Senate and will go to Gov. Pat Quinn. Under the new plan contained within Senate Bill 1313, retired state employees, legislators, judges and university...

In Springfield … The Illinois Senate Executive Committee voted to approve House Bill 3810, a bill that will eliminate the General Assembly Scholarship Program on Sept. 1, 2012. Senate President John Cullerton, who had picked up sponsorship of this bill, testified that this program was good overall and that it had helped many very deserving...

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...

Members of the Illinois House Executive Committee have approved SB 1313, which will move the legislation to the House floor for consideration. House Amendment 6 was filed on the bill last week, with House Speaker Michael Madigan picking up sponsorship. This amendment would do away with a state statute that has guaranteed government subsidies for...

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...

Students from Illinois community colleges and universities convened in Springfield this week to urge members of the General Assembly to invest in their futures through support for Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants. On Thursday, April 19, Gov. Pat Quinn told several hundred students gathered at the Lincoln statue on the Capitol grounds that “ …...

A bill in the Illinois General Assembly that sought to take away the 50 percent tuition discount that Illinois’ public universities currently offer their employees fell well short of the 60 votes it needed to pass a vote of the house. The bill, HB 5531, sponsored by Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago), would have amended various...

In Springfield … The Illinois primary elections were held Tuesday, March 20. The elections results can be found on the Illinois Board of Elections website. The Illinois General Assembly was in session Wednesday through Friday of last week. Members of the House of Representatives approved HB 3810 (vote: 95 yes, 25 no, 2 present), introduced by...

In Springfield … Friday, March 9, was the deadline to get substantive bills reported out of committees in the chamber of origin, so it was a very busy week. On March 6, House Bill 5745, sponsored by Rep. Brandon Phelps, passed out of the House Agriculture & Conservation Committee. This bill would allow for concealed-carry in...

NIU will host a town hall-style meeting at 1:30 p.m. today in the Carl Sandburg Auditorium of the Holmes Student Center. At that meeting, NIU President John G. Peters and Steve Cunningham, vice president for Administration and Human Resources, will present an overview of the current situation including a brief history, implications for SURS and...