Illinois’ comeback story starts here.
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by Larry Yellen The latest battle over Illinois pension reform is expected to come to a head on Tuesday in Springfield. Governor Quinn and legislative leaders are pushing hard for a “yes” vote. Meanwhile, opponents have been working to drum up opposition, including having retirees flood lawmakers offices before the vote. The outcome is still...
by Greg Hinz Illinois legislators Friday afternoon received a fact sheet outlining many of the details in the pension reform deal agreed to on Wednesday by their leaders, the deal said to save taxpayers $160 billion over the next 30 years. The document (check it out at the end of this post) generally follows the lines of...
By MARK PETERS and STEPHANIE BANCHERO New details emerged Friday about a proposal to overhaul Illinois’s public-employee retirement system, hardening opposition from public-sector unions and drawing criticism from some conservatives for not going far enough. Democratic and Republican leaders agreed earlier in the week on a plan to repair the Illinois pension system—widely regarded as the most troubled...
Illinois Policy Institute CEO John Tillman released the following statement regarding Illinois’ proposed pension “deal” and why it is bad for Illinois: “Limited details were just released regarding a proposed pension “deal.” Illinois lawmakers are returning to Springfield Tuesday to vote on this deal, made by Speaker Madigan and other politicians behind closed doors. No legislation has...
Illinois Policy Institute CEO John Tillman released the following statement regarding Illinois’ proposed pension “deal” and why it is bad for Illinois: “Illinois lawmakers are returning to Springfield Tuesday to vote on a proposed pension ‘deal.’ This deal was made by Speaker Madigan and other politicians behind closed doors. No legislation has been released. No...
Under growing public pressure to act, the leaders of Illinois’ General Assembly announced Wednesday they’d reached an agreement on how to solve the state’s $100 billion pension problem and would begin trying to persuade other lawmakers to approve it in a special legislative session next week. The deal was a significant breakthrough after months of...
Mike Flannery For those who ask, “Why does Illinois have the highest unemployment rate in the Midwest?” this is why. “They do not make — the state is not helping you grow your business,” Deron Lichte, owner of Food Warning Equipment Co. explains. “They’re placing hurdles in front of you.” Deron Lichte told us last...
Last week brought Guinness World Records Day, and on that day we learned that Illinois set another record: We have more local government than any other state, and at 6,963 local government bodies we smash the competition by a margin of 1,800. Woo-hoo? How about, uh-oh. Most of us live under three layers of general...