House Minority Leader Tom Cross says it's time to stop talking about pension reform and actually do something about it.

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Governor Quinn says if lawmakers don't deal with pension reform, the pension payments will squeeze out everything the state wants to invest in in the coming years.

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The state has an 85-billion-dollar unfunded liability within its pension systems. Lawmakers have considered several options in rescuing the pension systems, including a cost shift proposal, which is quite unpopular with downstate lawmakers. They argue it'll put more burden on schools in their areas. The legislature met in August with the hopes of getting the job done but actually walked away with no deal. They're looking at passing a reform package before January 9th.