SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner will propose fixing the state’s underfunded pension system and eliminating what he says is wasteful bureaucracy in public schools during his State of the State address.
The Republican governor is delivering his second State of the State speech Wednesday with no budget and mounting pressure over the seven-month-old stalemate that’s crippling services.
In his speech, Rauner will propose ways to provide more money to classrooms and hold schools “truly accountable for results,” according to excerpts provided by his office to The Associated Press.
And he’ll repeat earlier calls for fixing the state’s massive pension debt, which stands at $111 billion.
He’ll also talk about efforts to reduce the state prison population by 25 percent over the next decade by focusing more on rehabilitation rather than imprisonment.