ObamaCare employer mandate delayed for some businesses
ObamaCare employer mandate delayed for some businesses
The Obama administration announced today another implementation delay of the calamitous law. Today, the administration announced an additional one-year delay of the employer mandate on some firms. Under the law’s employer mandate, employers with 50 or more full-time employees or full-time equivalents are required to offer “qualified and affordable” health insurance coverage to their employees....
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
The 7 worst things in Chicago’s proposed Uber ordinance
The 7 worst things in Chicago’s proposed Uber ordinance
Last week, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed an ordinance that would regulate popular ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft in Chicago. Emanuel often claims that he wants Chicago to be friendly to new businesses, innovation and technology. Unfortunately, his proposal is anything but friendly to these “transportation network” services, and would force them to...
Texas surpasses Illinois in median household income
Texas surpasses Illinois in median household income
The common refrain made against Texas by those who defend the status quo in Illinois is that the jobs being created in the Lone Star State are lower-paying and less-rewarding opportunities. But not anymore. Texas is now unquestionably besting Illinois in providing for the middle class. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2012 the inflation-adjusted...
By Michael Lucci
Illinois considers banning drivers from using Google Glass
Illinois considers banning drivers from using Google Glass
You can’t buy Google Glass in Illinois yet, but that’s not stopping lawmakers from trying to ban it from the state’s streets and highways. Senate Bill 2632, currently pending in the Illinois General Assembly, would prohibit drivers from wearing a “mobile computing headset,” defined as a “computing device with a head mounted display that can project visual...
Bringing equality of educational opportunity to Illinois
Bringing equality of educational opportunity to Illinois
Thousands of students in Illinois’ rural schools lack access to the high-quality courses they need to be successful in college – that’s according to a recent report published by the National Rural Education Association. In fact, many of these students are unable to take AP classes or are routinely offered only one foreign language option,...
Capitol update: Week one
Capitol update: Week one
The official business of Illinois’ 98th General Assembly began this week, with both chambers in session for the first week of the 2014 spring legislative season. The beginning of session typically is a slower time of year, with legislative language being tweaked, and with final touches and chief sponsors being courted. This is especially the...
By Jane McEnaney
Aldermen want to ban horse-drawn carriages in Chicago
Aldermen want to ban horse-drawn carriages in Chicago
Following once again in New York City’s tradition of petty nanny statism, a new ordinance proposed by aldermen Edward Burke and Anthony Beale seeks to ban horse-drawn carriages in Chicago. The proposed ordinance would amend the municipal code to prohibit the renewal of carriage licenses, which would bring an end to the industry by the...
By Bryant Jackson-Green
Transparency needed in wake of Plainfield Park District corruption charges
Transparency needed in wake of Plainfield Park District corruption charges
Time and time again, local taxing bodies in Illinois fail to understand the importance of transparency until after a corruption scandal hits. The latest cautionary tale of public corruption comes from Plainfield Park District, where a whole host of unethical activities has led to the resignation of the executive director, calls for a resignation from...
By Brian Costin
January U.S. nonfarm payrolls miss expectations
January U.S. nonfarm payrolls miss expectations
Nonfarm payrolls increased by only 113,000 in January, compared with an average of 194,000 per month in 2013 and The Wall Street consensus expectations of 180,000, according to the report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. December’s disappointing payroll number was revised up only to 75,000 from 74,000, leaving the U.S. with consecutive ugly...
By Michael Lucci
Chicago taxi industry sues to keep competition out
Chicago taxi industry sues to keep competition out
Smartphone-based taxi services such as Uber and Lyft have been invaluable for many Chicagoans during the polar vortex and its lingering aftermath. The city’s entrenched taxi industry doesn’t like that fact. They’ve filed suit against the city of Chicago, claiming that allowing the existence of these in-demand services discriminates against people without access to smartphone...
By Hilary Gowins
Illinois borrowing penalty still three times higher than when Quinn took office
Illinois borrowing penalty still three times higher than when Quinn took office
It didn’t take long for Illinois’ spending machine to cram more debt down taxpayers’ throats. Only two months after signing a pension bill, Gov. Pat Quinn is borrowing yet another $1 billion to fund state construction projects. This will be the first large borrowing for Illinois since it passed Senate Bill 1, a pension fix...
New bill requires Illinois’ eighth-graders to be taught the importance of unions
New bill requires Illinois’ eighth-graders to be taught the importance of unions
In late January new legislation, Senate Bill 2682, was introduced to the Illinois Senate mandating that all eighth-graders be taught “the history of organized labor in America” and “the collective bargaining process.” The bill strengthens existing language so no student would be allowed to graduate eighth grade without being taught the importance of organized labor....
By Justin Hegy
Google Glass app for government waste
Google Glass app for government waste
While the Illinois General Assembly debates outlawing the use of Google Glass while driving, others are creating innovative apps to fight government waste and corruption using Google’s groundbreaking new technology. Have you ever walked down the street, stared at a government building and wondered how much it costs to operate? Imagine eyeing the elegant copper...
By Justin Hegy
Moving the goal posts on Illinois’ Medicaid expansion
Moving the goal posts on Illinois’ Medicaid expansion
Some of the same Illinois lawmakers and Medicaid expansion advocates who promised better access to care, better health outcomes and lower emergency-room utilizations to justify expanding Medicaid eligibility in Illinois now want to backtrack on these promises. They are attempting to redirect attention away from their lofty promises and toward needing “more time” to achieve...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman