The Illinois House will meet August 17 to vote on expelling State Rep. Derrick Smith (D-Chicago). The legislators might also take that time to tackle a pension bill the Senate passed in May. Under that bill, Illinois public employees, except those in education, must opt to lose their compounded cost-of-living adjustment annual increase or forfeit their state-subsidized retiree health care.

Employees of school districts and universities were made exempt in the Senate bill, due to disagreement as to whether the state or the school districts should pay the pension costs. The state currently pays all education pension costs, except for the Chicago Public Schools.

Gov. Pat Quinn indicated that he would likely not support a bill that deals with only some public employee pension costs. Unions have called the Senate bill unfair and unconstitutional.