To: All Faculty & All Academic Professionals & All Civil Service Staff
           <everybody@illinois.edu> 
    From: "President Michael J. Hogan" <presmike@uillinois.edu>

Reply-To: uipres@uillinois.edu
 Subject: MASSMAIL - Legislative Testimony Update

Dear Colleagues,

As we enter the closing days of the state legislative session, I thought 
it important to give you an update about an issue I know many of you are 
following closely -- pension funding legislation.

Let me begin by saying that we've worked very hard to share both our 
concerns about this bill and our interest in working with legislators to 
find solutions to the many challenges that the State of Illinois faces. 
This spirit of candor about the adverse effects of the pension funding 
bill being considered, alongside recognition that the General Assembly is 
working very hard on extremely challenging problems is, I think, a fair 
balance to strike. Yet, the current legislation under consideration 
places the burden of pension funding on the backs of our employees, who 
have made their contributions to the system for many years in good faith. 
I don't see this as a fair and balanced solution to this challenge before 
the State.

On Thursday, we were disappointed when the House Committee on Pensions 
and Personnel voted to advance a bill on pension funding to the House 
floor that would have negative consequences for our employees.

I was invited to testify Thursday morning prior to the Committee vote and 
did so as the only public university president at the hearing. You can 
find my testimony at 
http://www.uillinois.edu/president/speeches/2011/May26.pensions.cfm. 
There were other constituencies that joined us in testifying against the 
bill. Despite the outcome, we were heartened by comments from some 
Committee members that called attention to the serious negative 
consequences of the legislation, especially concerns related to the 
retention and recruitment of our exceptionally talented state employees --
 a point I highlighted in my testimony.  

In the coming day or so, the bill will be debated on the House floor. 
Should the bill advance through the House, the next step will entail 
consideration in the Senate. Even if it proceeds through the Senate and 
is signed into law, there will be constitutional challenges.

I want to assure you that we will continue to work hard to make the case 
that it is not in the State's best interest to risk its most precious 
resource -- our highly accomplished faculty and staff at one of the 
world's best institutions, the University of Illinois.  

I hope that you, too, are weighing in with your own personal opinions 
about this legislation as citizens of the great State of Illinois.  
(Please note that, in doing so, State law does not allow you to use your 
University of Illinois e-mail, stationery, or telephone; instead, you 
must use your personal communication resources as a citizen of the State.)

Let me close by noting how proud I was to represent the University of 
Illinois on Thursday, as I am each and every day. What is perhaps most 
gratifying is the acknowledgment from others in the halls of our State 
Capitol regarding how important the University is -- how important you 
are -- to the future of the State.

Sincerely,

Mike

Michael J. Hogan
President, University of IllinoisThis mailing approved by:
The Office of the President

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