SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation last year
barring government employees from drawing a pension while earning a
separate public paycheck.

But that law didn’t stop Quinn from hiring former state
transportation chief Gary Hannig earlier this month to serve as a
special adviser on budget issues.

The law, part of a pension overhaul designed to begin reining in
the cost of state retirement benefits, affects only those people
who are hired after Jan. 1, 2012.

Hannig, a former state lawmaker from Litchfield who oversaw the
Illinois Department of Transportation for two years until he
retired July 1, was hired back on Oct. 15.

“Gary Hannig is a very skilled budgeteer with superb legislative
expertise, and as the former head of the Illinois Department of
Transportation, his diverse background will be a welcome asset to
the budget office,” said Quinn spokeswoman Kelly Kraft, who could
not immediately provide a dollar figure for Hannig’s
contract.

Hannig, 59, acknowledged he is earning a state pension in addition
to the money he is making through the contract, which lasts through
Dec. 31.

He was paid $147,000 in each of his final of two years as Illinois
DOT chief.

“The governor asked me if I’d be willing to come back and work with
his administration through the veto session,” Hannig said.

He said Quinn hired him to focus on various legislative and
budgetary issues.

“I told him that those are areas of my strength, and I’d be happy
to help out for a while,” said Hannig, who was a top budget
negotiator during his tenure in the Illinois House.

Hannig is not the only state retiree on contract with the state’s
budget office who also is earning a state pension.

Ronald Picur, who is a holdover from former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s
tenure, is earning a $117,000 per year pension from his days as a
University of Illinois-Chicago professor.

Records show he has been paid more than $45,000 this year

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