Former GOP rep. seeking back pay for himself, all other lawmakers in class action suit

SPRINGFIELD — A former state lawmaker is suing the state comptroller for salary increases he claims he was entitled to while serving in the Illinois General Assembly for 12 years, even though he voted against those raises as a lawmaker.

Former Rep. Mike Fortner joins two other former state senators in filing separate lawsuits against Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza over pay raises that they argue are mandated by the state constitution.

Fortner served in the Illinois General Assembly from January 2007 to January 2019 as a Republican representing suburban West Chicago. Former Democratic Sens. Michael Noland, from Elgin, and James Clayborne Jr., from Belleville, filed a similar lawsuit in 2017 and 2018 for not receiving salary increases.

Fortner’s class-action lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court claims that the automatic cost of living increases to lawmakers’ salaries were eliminated in violation of the Illinois Constitution.

Read more: https://www.capitolnewsillinois.com/NEWS/former-gop-rep-seeking-back-pay-for-himself-all-other-lawmakers-in-class-action-suit