Illinois resident Pam Harris has a son, Josh, who is 24 years old and suffers from Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, a rare genetic malady that leaves him moderately handicapped mentally and at the same time affects his joints so that he is prone to dislocations. Josh can move around the house and do simple chores. He’s also...
by Jonathan Ingram The Quinn administration recently released a new projection of how quickly the state’s massive pension debt is growing. As a result, some are celebrating the fact that the governor is predicting that Illinois’ pension debt will only grow by $5 million per day during fiscal year 2014, as opposed to his projection of $17...
by Paul Kersey Barring a dramatic shift, more than 800 Chicago Public Schools employees, many of them dues-paying Chicago Teachers Union members, will be without jobs when schools open in the fall. But CTU, having collected more than $1,000 in dues per year from these people before pricing them out of their jobs, has made plans to help...
by Jane McEnaney On June 27, the Illinois General Assembly’s conference committee on pension reform met for the first time in Chicago. All 10 members of the bipartisan, bicameral committee were present. The committee met for five straight hours, hearing testimony from: Ty Fahner, President, Civic Committee of The Commercial Club of Chicago Jerry Stermer, Acting Director...
by Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner Moody’s Investors Service reported that Illinois’ true unfunded pension liability in fiscal year 2011 was nearly 65% higher than the state’s official estimate. In its report titled “Adjusted Pension Liability Medians for U.S. States,” Moody’s calculated the unfunded liabilities for Illinois’ three largest state-run pension plans at $133 billion, compared...
One of the best protections against corruption is transparency, and in today’s digital age one of the easiest ways for government to be open and accountable is through posting public documents on the Internet. Unfortunately, most Illinois counties need to dramatically improve when it comes to online transparency. The Illinois Policy Institute recently audited all...
by Ted Dabrowski As if Illinois didn’t have enough debt to deal with, the state borrowed another $1.3 billion. The state says it needs the money for infrastructure projects. Illinois tapped the bond markets despite the current fallout from the state’s failure to reform pensions and the recent bond market instability, which drove states like...
One of the best protections against corruption is transparency, and in today’s digital age one of the easiest ways for government to be open and accountable is through posting public documents on the Internet. Unfortunately, most Illinois counties need to dramatically improve when it comes to online transparency. The Illinois Policy Institute recently audited all...
A recent Google Consumer Surveys poll shows that a third of union household members would quit their union if it weren’t for the fact that doing so would cost them their jobs. Because Illinois lacks a Right-to-Work law, thousands of workers are forced to pay dues or fees to a union that they don’t believe...
by Andrew Wyatt This year, Washington Park lost $300,000 of taxpayer money meant to cover village workers’ paychecks. The village also has not filed any financial reports, audits or tax statements to the comptroller’s office for the last seven years. The village of Washington Park, which is near East St. Louis, is no stranger to...
Employee contributions to the State Employees’ Retirement System, or SERS, have gone up by 66 percent since 1998. During the same time period, taxpayer contributions to state employee retirements increased by 593 percent. In 2012 alone, Illinois taxpayers contributed $1.1 billion more to SERS than state employees did. And the disparity between taxpayer and employee...
In a recent Facebook post, a local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, called a government pension transparency initiative by the Illinois Policy Institute “offensive.” From AFSCME Local 427’s Facebook page: Bills Amended to Address AFSCME Concerns Assault on State Retiree Privacy (HB 1040 – Rep. Tryon/Sen. Althoff) This bill establishes...
by Ted Dabrowski and Paul Schumacher Despite Illinois’ improved May unemployment numbers, the state continues to lag the nation in job creation. Illinois has the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation – a position it has held since March. Illinois’ jobless rate dropped to 9.1 percent from 9.3 percent in May, according to the Bureau...
In May of 2010, the Illinois House of Representatives voted down the 2010 voucher bill. My hopes had been high for this bill, because I knew what school choice would mean for Illinois families. Vouchers mean freedom from failing schools; the possibility of students and families choosing their own path instead of being stuck with...