A policy moving a large number of state employees and retirees into a state self-insurance program caused much disagreement in Springfield Wednesday.

Despite an 8-3 vote by the bipartisan Commission on Government Accountability and Forecasting, which did not advise and consent to the action, Rep. Chapin Rose said Governor Pat Quinn is not backing off.

Gov. Quinn ignored the vote and will force it into a lawsuit position, Rose said.

“The governor’s refusal to listen to the commission members precipitates a constitutional crisis, which will be solved in the courts,” Rose said.

Rose said the commission voted against the move because they did not believe the numbers Gov. Quinn presented and they did not think it was fair.

“They did not believe it was fair to the taxpayers,” Rose said.

By establishing a new program, Gov. Quinn estimated the state would save $102 million in its first year, according to an article in The News-Gazette.

The move came after the state Executive Ethics Commission rejected Health Alliance and Humana’s protests over the bidding.

In voting against the new program, the commission has told Gov. Quinn he is wrong and needs to start over, Rose said.

By law, the commission has to give consent to the governor, Rose said, but Quinn has ignored that.

“He has refused to listen,” Rose said.

Rose said he thinks money could be spent “paying off countless backlogs of what we owe the state.”

“It’s not a good use of taxpayer dollars,” Rose said. “How much do we owe Eastern right now?”

Alex McNamee can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected]