Several consumer watchdog groups gathered together Thursday afternoon to make the plea.
Illinois can't move forward without some kind of reform, they said.
"If the state heads into a further free fall, we are not going to be creating jobs, we are not going to be attracting jobs," the president of the Metropolitan Planning Council MarySue Barrett said. "Employment prospects will decline further and it does become a debit spiral. So that is something that we all share and a future we want to avoid at any cost.
Governor Pat Quinn has asked lawmakers to send him a bill on pension reform by January 9th. That's when the lame duck session ends and new members take office.
