Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady of Bloomington told WBBM-AM on Sunday that he backs Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget plan that calls for shifting the burden of paying teachers' pension costs to local school districts.
Brady said on WBBM's "At Issue" program that the plan will help school districts realize the cost package of hiring people to work in the districts. Rauner suggested the move would give schools an incentive to give reasonable benefits to their employees as well.
“You want to put responsibility for paying pensions in line with the folks who determine who gets the pension benefits and at what level, so it’s actually good policy to do that,” Rauner told the Illinois News Network in March. “Democrats and Republicans have both agreed that it’s the right policy to do.”
Sen. Bill Brady
Some local school officials argued that the move will ultimately result in higher property taxes. Brady contends that higher taxes are a fair trade-off and something that even House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) has called for.
“I think it’s a responsible shift in discussion," Brady said during the "At Issue" segment.
Under the proposed plan, the pension burden shift would be gradual.
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