Please Vote "NO" on HJRCA 49
The Executive Committee of the Democratic Party of DuPage County voted to oppose HJRCA 49, an amendment to the state constitution.
Article XIII, Section 5, of the Illinois Constitution now states that "Membership in any pension or retirement system of the State, any unit of local government or school district, or any agency or instrumentality thereof shall be an enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired." If passed, HJRCA would add a new subsection to XIII/5 that would in effect supersede the wording of the original article.
The amendment would essentially do away with the contract protection clause and could be applied widely to a variety of employment and contractual obligations far beyond pensions.
While the amendment seeks to change the way future pension benefits would be approved by any public entity in Illinois, the wording in the body of the proposed amendment could potentially be interpreted as constitutionally redefining the term "benefit" in general, in addition to eliminating the constitutional protections for public employee contracts.
The amendment would establish a requirement for a supermajority from any governing body to approve "benefits" in the future. The concern is that this may lead to minority rule and opening contract negotiations for governmental units, employees, and taxpayers to all sorts of unforeseen complications.
Virtually none of these issues are apparent in how the amendment is presented on the November 6th ballot, or explained in any detail in the booklet the Secretary of State's office was required to mail to every registered voter's household. The amendment itself is over 700 words - another reason for concern about unintended consequences and future litigation.
The League of Women Voters of Illinois board has also voted to oppose the amendment.
ONE MORE PIECE:
Given the small role benefit increases played in creating the problem, it is unfair to target those benefits
House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 49 Will Diminish Public Pensions
ALSO! CAN YOU Please continue to push these videos out to anyone undecideds, Democrats or Independents you know in your district
Please post on your social media sites the link for your district and send out personal emails to your friends and neighbors and precinct folks. THANKS!
District 1
www.videopostcard.us/dupagedems/dupage1 District 2
www.videopostcard.us/dupagedems/dupage2
District 3 www.videopostcard.us/dupagedems/dupage3 District 4 www.videopostcard.us/dupagedems/dupage4 Amy Rohrer
Executive Director,
Democratic Party of DuPage County
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