By Drew Adams
Murray, KY – The Illinois General Assembly has sent legislation to Gov. Pat Quinn that would curb pension abuses. House Republican Leader Tom Cross sponsored the measure, which passed the legislative bodies Tuesday. It will prohibit public employees from collecting both union and public pensions. The issue stems from a controversy earlier this year when two union lobbyists qualified for teachers' retirement benefits by spending a single day in the classroom. Quinn encouraged the legislature to pass the measure, which will require any suspicion of fraud to be reported to local prosecutors. The legislation will go into effect immediately if signed by the governor. The two lobbyists in question each worked a day for the Illinois Federation of Teachers as substitutes and subsequently received pensions from the Teachers' Retirement System.