CHICAGO – Gov. Pat Quinn said Friday he’s looking forward to fixing the state’s pension mess by Jan. 9 with bipartisan cooperation and before a new Legislature is sworn in.

The governor spoke to reporters in Chicago after launching a new statewide public-private partnership to improve services for veterans. He said an overhaul of the state’s employee retirement system is needed so there can be adequate resources for schools, public safety and veterans’ programs.

“Getting into this challenge took 70 years. In the next 70 days, we’ve got to work together in bipartisan cooperation, in a practical way, to solve a big problem that’s afflicting our state budget,” Quinn said.