Take me back to the Oral History landing page.

Senator Matt Murphy - Pension Crisis in Illinois

Illinois State Senator Matt Murphy, a Republican from Palatine, discusses his role in crafting Senate Bill 1 (2013), legislation that attempted to help fix the state's long-festering public union pension crisis. Senator Murphy also shares his assessment of the causes of the state's pension crisis, and examines the subsequent action by the Illinois Supreme Court to declare that legislation unconstitutional. Other topics include the Tier 2 retirement plan, Governor Jim Edgar's efforts to reform the pension system in 1995, as well as the impact of COLAs, early retirement plans, pension holidays and the Great Recession.