Illinois lawmakers put off vote on pension reforms

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) – Divided Illinois lawmakers on Thursday put off a vote on proposed changes to its vastly underfunded public employee pension system, risking further credit rating downgrades of the state. Tom Cross, the Republican leader of the state House of Representatives, announced that too few House Democrats would support the current form of the legislation so he had agreed with Governor Pat Quinn not to call for a vote on it. “We have to be willing to find some common ground,” a weary-sounding Cross told fellow lawmakers. “We need to let emotions settle down. …