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Suburban Republicans help override GOP Gov. Rauner

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin says there won't be political retribution for three GOP lawmakers who broke with their party and overrode a veto from Gov. Bruce Rauner.

State Reps. David Harris of Arlington Heights, David McSweeney of Barrington Hills and Michael McAuliffe of Chicago voted with Democrats for a proposal that gives Chicago more time to make payments to its fire and police pension funds.

Rauner vetoed the plan, saying it was “kicking the can down the road.” The veto override succeeded with one vote to spare.

“I was surprised by the votes, and I'll just leave it at that,” Durkin said. “We'll talk about it internally in caucus.”

McSweeney said it helps avoid a property tax hike in the city, which is why he voted to override Rauner.

“We need to be reducing all Illinois property taxes, not raising them,” he said.

Harris said while it was tough to vote against the governor of his party, it's reasonable to let Chicago have 40 years to make its pension funds whole instead of 25 because the state gets 50 years.

“It's consistent with what we do at the state level,” Harris said.

The last significant override of a Rauner veto was last year when lawmakers overrode a Rauner rewrite of anti-heroin legislation. And the vote took on additional meaning because it came in the tense, waning days of lawmakers' annual session in Springfield.

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David McSweeney
David Harris
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