Policy Research

Budget + Tax Criminal Justice Good Government Jobs + Growth Labor Pensions

Madigan refuses to appear before House committee probing his ComEd bribery scandal involvement

By Joe Barnas

09/25/2020

Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan has formally declined an invitation to appear before the Illinois House committee tasked with investigating his involvement in the ComEd scandal.

TAGS: bribery, ComEd, corruption, Mike Madigan

Pritzker administration threatens 20% tax hike on everyone ‘regardless of their level of income’

By Adam Schuster

09/25/2020

While acknowledging the harm it would do to the state economy and working Illinoisans, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton claimed lawmakers would be ‘forced’ to look at hiking everyone’s taxes due to the budget crisis.

Hard to trust Illinois politicians who won’t trust voters with the truth

By Brad Weisenstein

09/24/2020

The political cost for raising taxes is exactly why the constitution’s authors created a flat tax protection. About 30% of the lawmakers from the 100th Illinois General Assembly were gone after passing the 2017 income tax hike.

TAGS: fair tax, JB Pritzker, progressive tax

Indiana set to fully reopen state; Illinois remains stuck

By Ben Szalinski

09/24/2020

As Indiana gets back to normal, Illinois is locked into Phase 4 restrictions until further notice.

TAGS: coronavirus, COVID-19, executive order, Indiana, JB Pritzker

LaHood files Taxpayer Protection Act to stop blank-check bailouts of mismanaged states, fix Illinois’ pension crisis

By Adam Schuster

09/23/2020

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood filed legislation in the U.S. House to ensure federal money supports essential government services during the COVID-19 pandemic – not mountains of pre-existing state and local debt and financial mismanagement.

TAGS: bailout, Darin LaHood, federal government, Taxpayer Protection Program

Everything you need to know about COVID-19 in Illinois

By Brad Weisenstein, Ben Szalinski

09/23/2020

This page will be updated daily to reflect developments related to the spread of COVID-19 in Illinois.

TAGS: coronavirus, COVID-19, IDPH: Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois, JB Pritzker, Lori Lightfoot

Report: Illinois fiscal health again 2nd worst in U.S.

By Ben Szalinski

09/22/2020

Each Illinois taxpayers owes $52,000, thanks to politicians spending more than they already take in. On Nov. 3 taxpayers will be asked for even more.

TAGS: debt, economy, JB Pritzker, pensions

How do I vote early in Illinois?

By Mindy Ruckman

09/21/2020

Finding your in-person voting place before the election can be a headache. Here’s a breakdown to make it easier.

TAGS: early voting, election, fair tax, progressive tax

House investigative committee calls for Madigan testimony in corruption scandal

By Joe Barnas

09/18/2020

Following initial hearings, a committee formed to investigate House Speaker Mike Madigan’s involvement in a ComEd corruption scandal requested testimony from key players.

TAGS: bribery, ComEd, corruption, federal investigation, Mike Madigan

Official Illinois progressive tax explainer ranges from misleading to wrong

By Adam Schuster

09/18/2020

Progressive income tax proponents put factually inaccurate and misleading claims into a constitutionally required pamphlet intended to inform voters about a proposed amendment.

TAGS: constitutional amendment, fair tax, JB Pritzker, progressive tax

Pension apocalypse? COVID-19 exposes long-running fragility of Illinois public pensions

Illinois’ pension crisis has been a growing problem for decades, and its negative effects on state residents are well documented.1 Economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and related government shutdown orders threaten to bring that long-running crisis closer to its breaking point. The state’s five pension systems collectively held nearly $139 billion of debt at...

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Policy Research

Pension apocalypse? COVID-19 exposes long-running fragility of Illinois public pensions

Joanne Troesch

Policy lessons from Illinois’ exodus of people and money

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students