Despite declining tax revenues and warning signs of a possible recession, Illinois lawmakers in Springfield are mulling tax hikes.
The Illinois State Board of Elections is accusing state Rep. Thaddeus Jones, who is now running for mayor of Calumet City, of misusing thousands of dollars of campaign funds.
The company plans on moving its white-collar workforce to Naperville, while keeping its manufacturing plant in Michigan.
AFSCME – the state’s largest government-worker union – spent two years pushing for contract provisions that would cost state taxpayers billions. Now that the union has lost before the state labor board, it has issued a “framework” for compromise. But that “framework” is merely a publicity stunt to make the union appear reasonable while union leaders threaten a strike to obtain contract provisions that burden state taxpayers.
The Senate on Inauguration Day took action to limit the power of its legislative leaders. Meanwhile, House Democrats re-elected Mike Madigan as House speaker, ensuring he will become the longest-tenured legislative leader in modern American history.
At the end of his term in 2019, Madigan will be the longest-serving House speaker of any state in modern U.S. history.
The newly re-elected House speaker is pushing a new tax on businesses, an increase to the minimum wage and more spending, while doing nothing to address salient problems such as workers’ compensation and pension debt.
Half of Midwest out-migration losses are coming from Illinois, making it the only shrinking state in the region.
Voters in Naperville and Lisle townships will have the chance to vote on government consolidation after the success of a similar referendum in the November elections.
Chicago Democrat Mike Madigan will hold the speakership for a record 17th time.
The new budget plan coming out of the Illinois Senate does little to nothing to reform the state’s reckless spending and financial mismanagement, but does plenty to hurt state taxpayers.