Lawmakers have been tasked with reducing Medicaid spending by $2.7 billion. Last year, lawmakers came together and decided – almost unanimously – that until the state could actually operate the program in a way that served the needs of the most vulnerable, it shouldn’t expand eligibility to overload the system. But earlier this year, Gov....
A National Taxpayers Union Foundation report looks at what Illinois' Members of Congress want to do with your tax dollars.
House Amendment 3 to Senate Bill 2840 fails to live up to the promises made to taxpayers. While this bill is an improvement over earlier drafts, there is still cause for alarm.
Since Monday morning, the Institute's plan has been in the news more than 30 times all across the state.
In February, Gov. Quinn told lawmakers that the rendezvous with reality had arrived. He informed them that they must “reduce expenditures” in the Medicaid program by $2.7 billion this year. Soon thereafter, lawmakers in the House committed to reducing “the accrual of Medicaid obligations” by $2.7 billion. The following proposal meets this goal without steep...
Every now and then you find out whether leaders and legislators are truly for reform or whether they simply use the concept to advance electoral imperatives. The upcoming votes on Medicaid, pensions and the state budget will be illuminating. Things are moving quickly in Springfield, and the most urgent issue on deck is Medicaid. Leadership...
National Review Online cites an Institute blog post.
In February, Gov. Pat Quinn told lawmakers that to rescue Illinois’ Medicaid program, the state would need to “reduce expenditures in the program by $2.7 billion” for fiscal year 2013. But so far, neither Quinn nor lawmakers have proposed a plan that does so. The Illinois Policy Institute has proposed reforming Medicaid into a premium assistance program,...
CHICAGO (May 18, 2012) – The village of Tinley Park, Orland Township, Orland School District 135 and the Orland Fire Protection District all received high marks in an online transparency audit conducted by the Illinois Policy Institute. These Orland Township-area governments join the Village of Orland Park, who maintained a score of 100 percent from...
Recently, Sen. Bill Brady suggested that local pension accountability would lead to property tax increases (Pension imbalance, May 13, 2012). Not true. The state already increased everyone’s income taxes to pay for pensions. Cutting state expenses will allow for lower taxes. If the state doesn’t reduce pension costs, then other education spending will face cuts....
The Institute's Kristina Rasmussen discussed whether state legislators should cut their pay on FOX St. Louis
Peoria Quest Charter Academy offers students a better choice.
Increasing local pension accountability would increase each school district’s total costs by an average of 3.7 percent.
The Problem Illinois has fallen behind its neighbors in offering alternatives to students outside major population centers. All children deserve the chance at a brighter future with schools that work best for them. Where choice in education is available, parents respond. Most downstate and suburban parents have few alternatives to their local public schools. A...