Gov. Pat Quinn is saying more plainly than ever that he wants Illinois schools to share the burden of teacher pensions.

In a statement Monday, Quinn's office said employers "need to have a stake" in paying for teacher retirement costs. The Democratic governor's also says he wants "aggressive restructuring" of Medicaid, the health program for poor people.

Quinn's statement was in response to a report from the Civic Federation, which says state government's pile of unpaid bills could nearly quadruple over the next five years.

The group says the backlog will explode from $9.2 billion to $34.8 billion unless officials take action soon.

The Civic Federation suggests cutting retirement benefits for government employees, reducing Medicaid costs and taxing retirement and Social Security income.