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Chicago Tribune: Gov. J.B. Pritzker vowed to ‘think big’ as a candidate, but is his agenda too big? Lawmakers will decide this week.
J.B. Pritzker said it was “time to think big” to deal with the state’s challenges when he introduced himself to Illinois voters as a candidate for governor in a TV ad a little more than two years ago.
Now, five months into office, the Democratic governor finds himself just days away from lawmakers deciding the fate of his “think big” agenda. With the spring legislative session scheduled for a May 31 adjournment, the outcome figures to have a significant impact not only on the state but on the governor’s political future.
Chicago Sun-Times: Waning days of spring session to reveal Pritzker’s big wins — or losses
Gov. J.B. Pritzker came into his first term hot with a sweeping plan to change the state’s tax code, legalize recreational marijuana, pay for roads and bridges, enact a budget and expand gambling in the state.
By Friday — the last day of the legislative session — we’ll know if he pushed those big issues items too fast and too soon.
Peoria Journal-Star: Approving progressive tax opens door to middle-class tax hikes
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is a man who was born rich and will die rich.
The heir to Hyatt hotel fortune would have us believe he wants to rewrite the state constitution to raise income taxes just on swells like himself — and nobody else.
It’s a cynical argument.
State Journal-Register: Negotiations continue on gambling expansion bill
A key negotiator for a gambling expansion bill said Sunday that further negotiations are needed before a bill will be given to lawmakers for a vote.
However, Rep. Robert Rita, D-Blue Island, said he remains confident an agreement can be reached on a plan to expand the number of casinos in the state and also to legalize sports betting as a number of other states have already done.
Daily Herald: Suburbs' contribution to state revenue would increase under graduated tax
Chicago and the suburbs contribute three-quarters of all income tax revenue collected by the state, and that would increase under a proposed graduated tax.
That’s because 85% of tax filers who would pay higher rates under the two graduated tax proposals live in Chicago and the suburbs, according to a Daily Herald analysis of Illinois Department of Revenue income tax data.
Chicago Tribune: 'Because we know that strikes work': College unions leverage publicity in tough contract battles
A recurring scene played out at local college campuses this year: picket lines.
Workers at the University of Illinois at Chicago, City Colleges of Chicago and Loyola University all held strikes this spring. At least three walkouts at other campuses were planned during the school year but were averted. Now another strike is possible, as graduate students at the University of Chicago voted this week to authorize a walkout in protest of the administration’s refusal to recognize them as a union.
Daily Herald: Custodians have new deal in Dist. 214
The Northwest Suburban High School District 214 board has inked a new five-year deal with the Custodial Maintenance Association, the 152-member union for district custodial and maintenance workers and tech and media services personnel.
The deal, approved by the board May 16 and union membership May 7, calls for wage increases of 1.5% in the first two years and 1.75% in the last three years. The district and union also agreed to maintain insurance costs within 3% each year, and keep staffing levels at a minimum of 152 full-time employees.