The gap between the pension promises that Illinois lawmakers have made and the money that the state has to pay those promises jumped by three-and-a half-billion-dollars this year. The latest report on Illinois’ pension debt shows things are getting worse. Illinois owes 137-billion-dollars for pensions for teachers, state workers, judges, university workers, and lawmakers. Next year’s payment on those pensions will hit almost 10-billion-dollars, which is about 25-percent of the state’s total budget.
