Press Releases

Illinois Policy Institute experts available to comment on Quinn Budget Address

WHAT: Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will deliver his annual Budget Address today. Illinois Policy Institute experts are available to comment on Quinn’s remarks and offer solutions to the fiscal problems faced by Illinois that do not include tax hikes, borrowing or more debt. WHO: In Springfield at the statehouse…. Kristina Rasmussen, Executive Vice President In Chicago…. Ted...

Governor Pat Quinn to deliver 2015 Illinois budget address

March 25, 2014 (CHICAGO) (WLS) — Governor Pat Quinn will deliver his 2015 budget address on Wednesday in Springfield, Illinois. Governor Pat Quinn’s Illinois budget address on Wednesday could be the most crucial speech of his political career. Quinn’s pitch to lawmakers comes as Illinois grapples with a major financial dilemma and serious re-election challenges...

New progressive tax proposal means higher tax bills for anyone with taxable income above $22,000

Tax calculator at UnfairIllinois.com shows how much new tax proposal will cost Illinois families Anyone with at least $22,000 in taxable income would see their total tax bill increase under a progressive tax hike proposal released today by state Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park). The plan released today by Sen. Harmon at a Statehouse press conference is...

Springfield leaders are in pension denial

For decades Illinois politicians ignored the state’s mounting pension debt. Now, with a state crisis that’s reeling out of control, Illinoisans are experiencing what happens when politicians put their heads in the sand. Unfortunately, Springfield residents now find themselves headed in the same direction, but at the local level. The city’s pension shortfall has jumped...

Watchdog Groups Ask for More Government Transparency

Government watchdog groups want lawmakers to support the Local Government Transparency Act. The Illinois Policy Institute is just one group calling on local governments with budgets of at least $1 million to post financial reports on their government websites. They want the local government transparency standards to be set by state government. The groups want...

Press conference 1 p.m. Thursday in Blue Room: Watchdog groups to urge lawmakers to back “Local Government Transparency Act”

Proposal would make local governments more open, accessible to citizens SPRINGFIELD (March 19, 2014) – Illinois has a long-standing history of corruption. The best way to combat corruption is through proactive, online transparency – which, thanks to the Internet, has never been easier. On Thursday, the state’s leading government watchdog groups are coming together to...

Cullerton: Illinois’ economy is healthier than critics claim

by Mike Flannery John Cullerton, President of the State Senate, declared Thursday that “It’s time to end the Illinois bashing!” He insisted the Land of Lincoln’s economy is in fact healthier than critics claim. “I think it’s time to end the Illinois Bashing and start recognizing our economic attributes, and build on them to solve problems,”...

Moody’s lowers Peoria’s bond rating, city still ranks better than Chicago and state

by Nick Vlahos The municipal bond rating for Peoria has been downgraded, but excessive worry about it doesn’t appear warranted. Not now, at least. Some of the underlying reasons for the change by Moody’s Investors Service might require more immediate attention in the Illinois General Assembly. Unfunded state mandates regarding pension funds for fire, police and...