Gov. Pat Quinn says he believes a new crop of lawmakers will help the Legislature fix Illinois' $96 billion pension crisis.
Members of the new General Assembly took the oath of office Wednesday. Among them were dozens of lawmakers who were elected to the House or Senate for the first time.
Quinn says many of those legislators ran for office on a platform of pension reform. He says that should help "get the job done."
The previous General Assembly adjourned Tuesday without a pension deal.
Quinn says the Legislature must "work night and day" to fix the problem so bond rating agencies don't further downgrade the state's credit rating. Illinois already has the lowest rating of any state, making it more costly to issue bonds.