Illinoisans suffer, politicians get paid
Illinoisans suffer, politicians get paid
Illinois lawmakers earn base salaries of nearly $68,000 for what is essentially part-time work.
Chicago City Council aims to crowd ballot with needless referendums
Chicago City Council aims to crowd ballot with needless referendums
City Council violates procedural rules and plays political games to put popular, but toothless, measures on the ballot and protect the mayor and bureaucrats from any real challenges to their power.
Chicago City Council committee passes resolution supporting expansion of record sealing
Chicago City Council committee passes resolution supporting expansion of record sealing
In a July 11 resolution, Chicago City Council’s Committee on Public Safety urged the General Assembly to pass “meaningful sealing reform” to help ex-offenders re-enter the job market and their communities more successfully.
Munger: Illinois’ unpaid bills projected to hit $10 billion by year’s end
Munger: Illinois’ unpaid bills projected to hit $10 billion by year’s end
The Illinois comptroller warns Illinois' backlog of unpaid bills will reach $10 billion by December.
IRS: Illinois is losing millennials
IRS: Illinois is losing millennials
An increasing number of younger adults are making up the exodus of taxpayers from the state.
Cost of police misconduct highlights need for risk management
Cost of police misconduct highlights need for risk management
The city of Chicago paid over $146 million in police misconduct and public safety claims in 2013 and 2014, according to the city inspector general’s report.
Pokemon GO
Pokemon GO
An Illinois workers’ compensation system for the 21st century
An Illinois workers’ compensation system for the 21st century
The state of Illinois has one of the oldest workers’ compensation systems in America, dating to 1911.
Taxpayers will have to pay $320M more for state-worker pensions in 2018
Taxpayers will have to pay $320M more for state-worker pensions in 2018
Due to changes in investment and demographic assumptions, the State Employees’ Retirement System’s debt is even worse than previously realized; this will require an extra $320 million each year from Illinois taxpayers by 2018.
IDES: Illinoisans must file résumés to receive unemployment payments
IDES: Illinoisans must file résumés to receive unemployment payments
By linking unemployment payments with the requirement to submit a résumé, the Illinois Department of Employment Security is trying to connect unemployed people with employers faster, helping job seekers find employment, and saving taxpayers money.
Madison County, Ill., to voters: Want to reduce your property taxes?
Madison County, Ill., to voters: Want to reduce your property taxes?
A referendum allowing Madison County taxpayers to decide if they want to limit their tax burden is a choice all Illinoisans should have.
Illinois is losing prime working-age adults
Illinois is losing prime working-age adults
BLS data show that Illinois had a net loss of 354,000 adults over the last decade from its prime working-age adult population (ages 25 to 54), with 290,000 of that loss attributable to migration rather than mortality. This is a troubling sign that indicates a weak economy – and the loss of adult taxpayers and their children.
Chicago’s total debt more than triples to over $24B in 2015
Chicago’s total debt more than triples to over $24B in 2015
A new Chicago financial report shows the city’s total unfunded liabilities have jumped by over $17 billion, growing to nearly $24 billion in 2015 from $6.5 billion in 2014.
A pricy homecoming: Dwyane Wade’s $890,000 Illinois tax bill
A pricy homecoming: Dwyane Wade’s $890,000 Illinois tax bill
In joining the Chicago Bulls, former Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade is trading Florida’s 0 percent personal income tax for Illinois’ 3.75 percent rate, a choice many out-migrating, middle-class Illinoisans cannot afford to make.