Representative Dan Swanson’s December 19 Capitol News Update

Inside:

• 'Blackhawk Battalion' guardsmen begin returning home
• State's pension liability stands at over $144 billion
• Farm Bureau annual meeting
• Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

'Blackhawk Battalion' guardsmen begin returning home

Just in time for the Christmas holiday season, 265 Illinois National Guardsmen of the 2-130 Infantry, also known as the 'Blackhawk Battalion' have returned home. The remaining 250 members of the battalion will be returning home at a later date.

The Illinois guardsmen were mobilized in February and received training at Fort Bliss, Texas. They were then deployed overseas as part of Operation Spartan Shield in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, which includes Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Israel. Their time in the region included the 12-day period of hostilities between Israel and Iran in June.

Illinois Soldiers conducted security forces and base defense operations throughout the region and also provided security for President Trump's visit to Qatar and Egypt. During the year, 37 soldiers were awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, and 54 soldiers earned the Combat Action Badge. The battalion has been submitted for a Meritorious Unit Citation, which is still pending.

Welcome home!

Thank you to the soldiers and families for your sacrifices!

State's pension liability stands at over $144 billion

A summary from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, which is the General Assembly's budget watchdog agency, found that Illinois' state-managed pension funds continue to face challenges, such as a large liability and projections that future liabilities are running ahead of actual and expected future assets. The unfunded liability, which is the gap between actual and expected assets, stood at $144.5 billion as of the end of Fiscal Year 2024.

There are five state-managed pension funds. From largest to smallest, they are the funds for teachers and educators, state workers, employees of state universities, members of the Illinois judicial branch and members of the General Assembly. All have been underfunded for years. In total, the report projected the state to owe $274.9 billion in pension benefits to be paid out to all persons who were vested in the pension system on June 30, 2025.

The report found that the state currently has just over $130 billion available to pay these benefits, leaving an unfunded liability of over $144 billion. The unfunded pension liabilities weigh upon the state's credit rating, which the three major ratings agencies have upgraded, but still rank behind our neighbors. Pension reform is likely to be one of the topics of discussion in the upcoming spring session.

Farm Bureau annual meeting

It was a nice weekend in Chicago for the annual meeting of the Illinois Farm Bureau. It's nice to see so many friends from around the state who are active in agriculture.

We had a great resolution discussion in which policy is driven for the Farm Bureau. The conversation by the delegates helps me understand the direction the Farm Bureau is leaning and helps members of the House and Senate to discuss these ideas if and when they come up in Springfield as legislation.

Thanks to all who attended and participated!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope that you and your family and friends have a great celebration of the Christmas holiday next week. This special time of year reminds us of all we have to be grateful for, and offers the hope of a brighter and better year to come.

Thank you for the privilege of serving as your state representative. We will be back at the Capitol next month to start a new spring session. I look forward to hearing from the people of the 71^st District with your thoughts and comments and questions as we move into the new year. If you would like to visit us at the Capitol during the spring session, our spring calendar schedule is here. Look for my next e-news update on Friday January 9.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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