Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently OK’d four new laws that would expand the ability for professionals to practice in Illinois. While they are advancements, Illinois’ onerous occupational licensing system needs comprehensive reform.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently approved two laws intended to spur change in the way property taxes work in Illinois. They are old ideas that will provide more show than relief.
Illinois lags other states on approvals for new housing. It has one of the lowest rates for housing approvals in the United States. That drives up costs.
The Quad Cities will experience a combined 319 job cuts after John Deere announced layoffs at both its World Headquarters in Moline and Harvester Works factory in East Moline. Romeoville saw more than 1-in-4 of the mass layoffs statewide.
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates decried standardized testing. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said schools should be measured by spending, not performance. ‘Accountability’ is not in their vocabulary.
Tiny hotel toiletries will soon be outlawed in Illinois. A new law will make Illinois hotels ditch small plastic bottles for shampoo and other care products.
Updated budget forecasts show a $982 million shortfall for the upcoming 2025 budget as Chicago grapples with $223 million remaining deficit this year. Mayor Brandon Johnson refuses to rule out property tax hikes.
Chicago teachers were handed a union without the ability to choose for themselves. It’s the result of a system that props up government unions at the expense of the members they are supposed to serve.
Nearly 2 million Illinoisans – or nearly 1-in-6 state residents – received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in May 2024. Illinois ranked No. 9 in the nation for highest rate of federal food help.
Chicagoans experienced 7.2% more violent crime between August 2023 and July 204, with cases of robbery, aggravated assault and aggravated battery at five-year highs.
Despite Illinois’ job market outpacing the national average, all 15 metro areas continue to have higher unemployment rates than the national average.
It may be based in Chicago, but the Chicago Teachers Union’s lobbying affects residents throughout Illinois. The Illinois General Assembly did CTU’s bidding on 60% of the bills on which the union took a stance last session. CTU discontent is growing.