Politics & Government

Kosel Describes Paychecks vs Lawsuit over Pension Reform 'All Politics'

Rep. Renee Kosel (R-Mokena) describes the state's in-house battle over pension reform as "all politics."

Rep. Renee Kosel (R-Mokena) describes the rift between Gov. Pat Quinn and the Democratic leadership in the General Assembly as "all politics."

Gov. Pat Quinn announced July 31 his intention to withhold paychecks from the General Assembly, citing their failure to come up with a pension reform measure. The Democratic Leadership, Senate President John Cullerton, and Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, then filed a lawsuit, saying Quinn violated the separation of power between the executive and legislative branches.

Kosel, who is the assistant Republican leader in the House, said the governor has "overstepped his legal powers to try to intimidate."  

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Consequently, it raises deeper questions. "Where do you draw the line in this?" This type of maneuver could lead to intimidation for any variety of issues. "It's definitely a political move, and it's calling attention to a very, very serious problem."

Would this same response on the part of the governor be applied to other hot button issue, such as gun control, pro-life or pro-choice proposals, she pondered.

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READ: Illinois Pension Reform: How Did Your Representative Vote?

"What limits him from doing this in other situations? It's a very slippery slope," Kosel said.  

In the meantime, she and the rest of the General Assembly will have to deal with the loss of income. "There are a lot of people across the state not getting paid because the majority party has not balanced the books. …So we now are in the line of people that aren't getting paid."

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Where do you stand on the matter—no paychecks vs. lawsuit? TELL US IN THE COMMENTS.


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