Quinn to Announce Grassroots Campaign for Pension Reform

The announcement will be made 2 weeks before Lawmakers meet for the Veto session.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is taking his quest for pension reform to social media.

Quinn is scheduled to hold a press conference Sunday afternoon to announce the launch "of a 21st century grassroots campaign to educate citizens of Illinois about the need for pension reform and activate them to get involved through social media," according to an email with the Governor's public schedule.

The press conference is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. at the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago.

The governor has hinted at this campaign since September, but has pushed the date back multiple times. His office has only said that the campaign will involve the Internet and social media, but no other details.

His announcement comes just two weeks before Lawmakers return to Springfield for the Veto session. However, it is unlikely the vote on pension reform will happen until early January.

The governor has been pushing for an overhaul of the state's employee retirement system so there can be adequate resources for schools, public safety and veterans' programs.

So far, Lawmakers have failed to come up with a plan to deal with the roughly $85 billion pension funding gap, which is the worst of any state in the country. Legislators couldn't agree on an approach during an August special session.

On Nov. 6, Quinn said he wanted the state's pension mess cleaned up by Jan. 9, 2013, before the new Legislature is sworn in.

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