SPRINGFIELD – A day after Gov. Pat Quinn upbraided lawmakers for inaction on the state’s multibillion-dollar pension mess, House members found a proposal they could get behind, backing a measure to limit the salary on which a public employee’s retirement benefits could be based.

The measure – part of a leading proposal to bail Illinois out of its $96.7 billion pension crisis – was presented as a test vote Thursday as lawmakers continue to feel their way toward a universally agreeable solution.

Two Republicans joined Democrats in the 65-7 vote in favor of the amendment, which would cap the salary that pension benefits are based on at the limit set for Social Security, currently $113,000 a year. Supporters say it could save Illinois $1 billion a year.