* Rep. Elaine Nekritz told the Tribune’s Rick Pearson Sunday that she thought a pension reform vote could be held during veto session. She said this despite telling the SJ-R’s Doug Finke late last week: “I have stopped making predictions on time because mine have all been very wrong.”

Well, maybe she should’ve taken her own advice with Pearson. The bill obviously can’t pass without Republican votes, and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin doesn’t think there will be action during veto session…

The Western Springs lawmaker also says he has doubts meaningful pension legislation will come up for a vote during the upcoming fall veto session. Some members of the bipartisan legislative commission studying ways to plug Illinois’ massive $100 billion pension hole say much progress has been made this summer and a bill could be passed on to the governor soon.

Durkin says that’s more likely to happen in a special session prior to January.

If he wants to wait that long, I don’t know why he wouldn’t want to put it off until January, when the bill could have an immediate effective date.

*** UPDATE *** From Leader Durkin’s press secretary…

“Leader Durkin is not suggesting that we need to wait to vote on pension reform until January. Rather, the point he is trying to make is that we are getting close to veto session and there is no agreement yet. He is simply cautioning that a vote may not occur during the six days scheduled for veto. If an agreement is reached after veto we can always come back to Springfield for a vote in November or December.”