Illinois’ comeback story starts here.
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by Michael Volpe Part-time government employees working for Cook County, Illinois — President Obama’s home county — may soon lose their employer-funded health insurance and instead have to move onto Obamacare’s healthcare exchanges. That move would once again directly contradict President Obama’s promise that Americans who like their health plans could keep them. In a...
In recent years, neighboring states such as Wisconsin and Indiana have enacted landmark education reform. But here in Illinois, many of these reforms have yet to be implemented. On Thursday, an education policy researcher from the nonpartisan Illinois Policy Institute will discuss how Illinois can reform its government school system in a way that improves...
By Elizabeth Harrington The president’s health care law is driving down employment in his home state, according to a recent report. Employers in Illinois are cutting worker hours to avoid costly penalties from Obamacare’s employer mandate, where employees in the lowest wage sectors are the hardest hit. The Illinois Policy Institute studied the three employment sectors...
As Illinois’ gubernatorial election is underway, candidates will no doubt promise to funnel more money into Illinois’ public schools. But a study released today by the Illinois Policy Institute shows that the real issue is not how much money is going to public education, but who controls the flow and distribution of money spent on...
In the age of the internet, it’s never been easier to keep the public informed about what government is doing. But a recent audit of government websites statewide found that county-level governments are underperforming when it comes to online transparency. Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, Ogle and Lee counties were among the 90 out of 102 county-level governments...
As Illinois’ gubernatorial election is underway, candidates will no doubt promise to funnel more money into Illinois’ public schools. But a study released today by theIllinois Policy Institute shows that the real issue is not how much money is going to public education, but who controls the flow and distribution of money spent on education. Since 1993, education spending in Illinois has grown by nearly 200 percent,...
Retirees are scrambling to keep their dependents insured on state health plans, a task made harder by the federal shutdown. The Department of Central Management Services has hired H.M.S. Employer Solutions to audit the eligibility of state employees’ dependents in four state insurance plans. Right now, it is concentrating on retirees in the State Employees...
By David Giuliani Most counties in this region are providing more information on their websites, but they’re still failing a nonprofit group’s test for transparency. Lee County saw the greatest improvement from its audit last year – 21 out of 100 points to 48.1. Whiteside County, meanwhile, jumped by a point to 27.4. Carroll increased...