State high court skeptical municipal police and fire pension consolidation hurt retirees' voting rights

Posted By: Withers Syndication
November 22, 2023 @ 1:23 pm
Local News, Push to Social Media

By HANNAH MEISEL

Capitol News Illinois

ILLINOIS — Three dozen retired police and firefighters from around the state are asking the Illinois Supreme Court to find unconstitutional a 2019 state law that consolidated nearly 650 municipal police and fire pension funds.

Capitol News Illinois reports the plaintiffs claim their votes no longer go as far as they did when they could choose a five-member board to oversee their local funds. Now, the two statewide pension funds have boards that every police officer and firefighter outside of Chicago votes to elect.

Governor JB Pritzker made pension consolidation a key priority for his first year in office, commissioning a study that found the small individual pension funds weren’t recouping the higher yields on investments larger funds did.

But the retirees claim it’s not about the money, but about their say in who controls it.

The court will likely decide the case next year.