While state leaders haggle over next year's budget, Illinois' $111 billion unfunded pension liabilty remains the elephant in the room.  Don Boyd is a senior fellow at the Rockefeller Institute in Albany, New York, and studies state finance with a focus on pensions.  Boyd spoke with Morning Edition Host Brian Moline about the causes of the shortfall and some possible solutions.

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the state's pension reform law violates a provision in the state constitution that bars pension benefits for employees of state and local governments and school districts from being "diminished or impaired"

Bryan Lewis, who currently works in North Carolina's retirement systems, starts April 6, taking over the retiring William Mabe.  SURS has about 227,000 members.