Press Room

Eighteen local governments fail online transparency audit

Algonquin, Mundelein and Addison pass transparency audit; St. Charles and others fail With the constant advancements of the digital age, keeping citizens informed about their local and state governments’ actions has never been easier. However, recent analysis by the Illinois Policy Institute found that Oswego, Woodridge, St. Charles and 15 other city governments in the...

Pension Reform and the Gubernatorial Race

Pension reform is one of the biggest issues facing the state. Gov. Pat Quinn has passed pension reform legislation, which could be ruled unconstitutional by the Illinois Supreme Court. If that were to happen, Quinn has yet to detail what he would do. As for GOP challenger Bruce Rauner, he proposes shifting workers to a...

Illinois pension crisis worst in nation

This article was written by Matt Porter and featured on Illinois Homepage on September 9, 2014. Years of ignoring the pension problem has put Illinois at the bottom of the list. Moody’s Investor Services rated the state dead last for its pension debt compared to its revenues. Dean of the UIS College of Business and...

Illinois minority employment rate near record low

Today the Illinois Policy Institute released a new report looking at the employment rate for minorities in Illinois. According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, or IDES, employment for black and Latino males in Illinois is near an all-time low. According to IDES: The employment rate for African American or black males has fallen more...

Transparency policy shows city’s dedication to open government

This article was originally featured on Pantagraph on September 3, 2014. The city of Bloomington and Mayor Tari Renner deserve a round of applause for their work to make city documents more visible and easier to access for the general public. Last week, the City Council approved, on a near unanimous vote, an expansion of...

Fox 32: Study compares salaries of union and private sector workers

Paul Kersey, Director of Labor Policy at the Illinois Policy Institute, joined Fox 32 Chicago on Labor day to discuss the differences in salaries and perks between state and union employees. Watch the interview here.

Generous teacher pensions continue as Illinois’ financial crisis worsens

This article was written by Kelly Riddell and featured in the Washington Times on September 1, 2014. If the Illinois Teachers Retirement Service (TRS) had to pay out all of its pensions today, it could only afford to give its members 40 cents on the dollar. Yet the number of six-figure pensions TRS has been doling out...

WBEZ: Two neighboring states, one big financial gap

This article was written by Michael Puente and originally featured on WBEZ on August 28, 2014. George Brown of Valparaiso, Indiana, works for a steel mill these days, but at one time, his main gig was construction — across the state border in Chicago. The commute and that “living in both worlds” familiarity didn’t prevent...