The Illinois income tax increase would be made permanent in the latest proposal to fix the state's underfunded pension systems. The increase, from 3 percent to 5 percent, was set to begin easing back in 2014.
%22We%20have%20a%20responsibility%20to%20fix%20it.%20And%20we%20have%20a%20responsibility%20to%20have%20shared%20sacrifice.%20And%20if%20the%20people%20of%20the%20state%20of%20Illinois%20want%20to%20have%20state%20employees%2C%20we%27re%20going%20to%20figure%20out%20a%20way%20to%20fix%20those%20systems%20so%20we%20can%20continue%20to%20have%20state%20employees.%22%20-Representative%20Lou%20Lang
But Representative Lou Lang, a Democrat from Skokie, says the state can't afford that. He says Illinois taxpayers didn't create the pension problem, but it's a problem they're stuck with.
Lang's plan would increase state workers' retirement age to 67 and have them pay more out of every check. It would also gradually require school districts and universities to take over paying for their employees' pensions.