Press Room

Illinois Supreme Court says it will not expedite decision on state worker contract

Labor and legal experts available to explain what this means, why it matters and what happens next

Illinois pension, other retirement-related debt climbs to $267 billion

Every Illinois household on the hook for $56,000 in retirement-related debt

District court ruling declares Illinois ban on medical marijuana campaign donations unconstitutional

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois struck down an Illinois law that banned licensed medical marijuana businesses from making contributions to candidates, PACs and other political committees.

Cook County shrinks by more people than any other county in the U.S.

CHICAGO (March 23, 2017) – This morning the U.S. Census Bureau released new data that show Cook County’s population shrank more than any other county in the nation between July 2015 and July 2016. Cook County’s population dropped by 21,324 – a loss nearly three times greater than the second highest population-loss county in the...

Workers’ compensation is a budget issue, costs taxpayers nearly $1 billion a year

New report finds structural reforms can save taxpayers $300 million, bring in new businesses, bolster economy

Appeals court ruling clears path for U.S. Supreme Court to hear lawsuit to end mandatory union fees

MEDIA CONTACT: Diana Rickert or Melanie Krakauer media@illinoispolicy.org or 312-607-4977 CHICAGO (March 21, 2017) – An Illinois lawsuit challenging mandatory union fees paid by government workers could soon make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court as a result of an appellate court ruling issued this afternoon. The plaintiffs in the case, Janus v. AFSCME, are two employees...

Statewide poll: Likely Illinois voters support property tax freeze, pension reform and strengthening power of local governments

CHICAGO (March 21, 2017) – Not only do the majority of likely Illinois voters want the state to close its budget deficit by only cutting spending, but they also support major reforms that would make that possible. These are the findings of a poll of likely Illinois voters, released today by the nonpartisan Illinois Policy...

Statewide poll: Majority of Illinois voters say state should balance the budget through spending cuts, not tax increases

CHICAGO (March 7, 2017) – More than half of Illinoisans say state government spends too much money, and should close its budget deficit by only cutting spending – not raising taxes. This is according to a new poll of likely Illinois voters, released today by the non-partisan Illinois Policy Institute. The state has been without...