August 19, 2016

To the Honorable Members of

The Illinois Senate,

99th General Assembly:

Today I veto Senate Bill 2819, which amends the Illinois Pension Code.

Currently, Cook County may contribute to the Cook County Pension Fund only from property tax levy proceeds. Senate Bill 2819 would permit Cook County to use funds from additional sources to cover the Fund’s administrative and annuity expenses. While I would ordinarily applaud legislation aimed at providing any unit of local government with more freedom to manage its fiscal affairs, this bill both unnecessarily restricts how Cook County spends additional resources and fails to address the single biggest problem facing the Cook County Pension Fund, which is its underfunding.

Nonetheless, I encourage the County and the Fund to continue working on an agreed language that would allow the County to responsibly prioritize any additional taxpayer dollars.

Therefore, pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(b) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return Senate Bill 2819, entitled “AN ACT concerning public employee benefits”, with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.

Sincerely,

Bruce Rauner

GOVERNOR