Pension reform is starting over at the Illinois statehouse. Today the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that changes to benefits for current and retired state employees was unconstitutional. The court said that the General Assembly may find itself in crisis, but it is a crisis which other public pension systems managed to avoid. In a statement the Governor says that it’s clear a constitutional amendment now needs to be part of any plan moving forward to reform the pension system. State Rep. Tim Butler a Republican from Springfield says that any talk of changing the state's constitution merits a close look.

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Lawmakers and the Governor will now certainly have to rethink proposed FY16 spending plans. The Gov’s new budget assumed $2.2 billion in pension savings from a plan that no has firm details.