The testimony of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees before the Illinois Labor Relations Board and the union’s refusal to compromise on any contract provisions reveal that AFSCME and Gov. Bruce Rauner have reached impasse.
The Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s relative health compared with other government-worker pension funds is only due to its ability to force localities to fund it at the expense of other pension funds and vital local services.
Madigan has been in office since 1971 and has served as Illinois House speaker for 31 of the past 33 years.
Illinois lawmakers can learn valuable lessons from states that have protected essential government services from swings in the economy.
According to the Illinois Department of Revenue the progressive tax would've cost Illinois 20,000 private-sector jobs, 43,000 residents to other states on net, and $1.9 billion in GDP over the first four years.
Caterpillar’s plans to bring new jobs to Arizona demonstrate how Illinois politicians’ planned tax hikes and failure to make needed regulatory reforms harm the state’s manufacturing sector.
The Illinois Department of Revenue has projected losses of 20,000 private-sector jobs, 43,000 residents to other states on net, and $1.9 billion in GDP in the first four years of a progressive tax.
Lang’s progressive-tax proposal would hit successful small businesses, which account for 72 percent of all small-business income in Illinois.
State Rep. Lou Lang’s progressive tax would hurt the middle class by making Illinois home to the second-highest small-business tax rate in the U.S.
Flawed property valuations and the process required to fix them are a cash cow for law firms, including those of House Speaker Mike Madigan, Chicago Alderman Ed Burke and Illinois Senate President John Cullerton.
Despite being sentenced to 15 months in prison for a financial crime intended to cover up his sexual abuse of high school students, former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert will continue to receive $28,000 annual pension payments for his six years as an Illinois state representative.
Illinois has 859 local school districts – the fifth-most in the nation.