A look at Illinois' pension crisis, proposed fix

Monday, December 2, 2013

CHICAGO — For years, Illinois' multibillion-dollar pension crisis has dragged down the state's finances and jeopardized the retirement funds of hundreds of thousands of public employees. Yet lawmakers remained sharply divided on how to fix the problem.

They will take another shot at it Tuesday, when legislators are scheduled to return to the Capitol to consider a compromise that emerged last week. While many unknowns remain about the impact of the plan, here's some background and the basics of what will be a hotly contested — and potentially historic — vote