Public pensions

Minority Republicans had gummed up progress by forcing the House clerk to read every line of every bill, before two members broke ranks.

Scott Waguespack will chair the committee that vets city bond deals and other financial transactions.

Illinois lawmakers gave first-year Gov. J.B. Pritzker a victory on a cornerstone of his fiscal plan for the troubled state.

The developer of the proposed $20 billion One Chicago project is seeking state subsidies as part of a P3 deal.

The mayor took the oath of office Monday and faces decisions soon about how to handle unfunded pension liabilities along with rising debt service and labor costs.

A bid to stabilize New Jersey’s soaring pension and healthcare costs faces an uphill battle against the state’s Democratic governor and organized labor.

The orchestra received a first-time A rating from S&P Global Ratings ahead of its bond sale next week.

The federation endorsed the plan only after Gov. J.B. Pritzker dropped plans for a partial pension funding holiday.

Incoming CFO Jennie Huang Bennett and budget director Susie Park arrive as the city warns that pension contributions may rise more than previously projected.

Illinois bonds are gaining ground in the secondary, supported by scant supply and recent fiscal developments viewed positively by investors and analysts.

Nebraska's largest school district has more than $770 million of unfunded pension liabilities after some pension fund investments turned sour.

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney says the state needs to overhaul pension and health benefits to rebuild its ratings.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker's about-face on re-amortizing to reduce next year's pension contribution is one less negative rating factor, agency analysts said.

The Pritzker administration says it can now afford to make the full originally scheduled pension contribution without re-amortizing the funding timetable.

A graduated income tax could lay the groundwork for Illinois to rebuild its credit quality — but only if done right, according to the rating agency.

Chicago and its pension funds dispute whether the city is meeting its obligations; the city says the state comptroller is too quick to believe the funds.

Thirty-five local plans carry a combined unfunded liability of roughly $2.5 billion, a slight increase from last year, a state report says.

Birmingham, Alabama's general obligation bond rating was lowered one notch by Moody's due to growing pension liabilities.

The one-time cash infusion would go toward the unfunded liability of the Teachers' Retirement Fund ‘96 — the defined benefit plan for teachers hired after June 30, 1995.

Plans in Illinois, Kentucky, Connecticut and New Jersey still show low funded ratios, while the best funded plans experience better-than-average returns.