The pension crisis has prompted a rising number of lawmakers to say they won't accept their legislative pension.
At least two dozen of the 177 members of the House and Senate have opted out of the General Assembly pension system.
Timothy Blair, who oversees the pension system, says that's the biggest uptick he's seen.
Many lawmakers pledged during their campaigns not to take the pension. But that doesn't mean they'll never get a state retirement check. Some earned pensions in previous jobs.
Rep. Sue Scherer, a Democrat from Decatur, issued a statement last week trumpeting her decision to forego her legislative pension. But she's already collecting $5,084 per month after retiring from a 33-year teaching career.
State Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, decided not to take a legislative pension when he first took office in the mid-1990s.
Luechtefeld, a former teacher and basketball coach, is a member of the Teachers Retirement System.
He says he can't blame others for taking money from multiple pensions systems since there's nothing illegal about it, it is much easier to talk to constituents who struggle with pensions when you don't take from multiple systems.
He says he can't blame others for taking money from multiple pensions systems since there's nothing illegal about it, it is much easier to talk to constituents who struggle with pensions when you don't take from multiple systems.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
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