Illinois cannabis taxes among nation’s highest, could keep black market thriving

By Austin Berg
01/09/2020
Springfield lawmakers have yet to learn the lesson that money walks. And it’s not just to other states. Sometimes, it walks past the legal dispensary with a 40% tax rate and into a dealer’s house.

TAGS: black market, Chicago, Cook County, decriminalization, high taxes, Illinois, Illinois General Assembly, legalization, marijuana, medical marijuana, recreational marijuana, Springfield, tax burden, taxes, THC

2019 laws in review, Illinois lawmakers passed both nice and naughty bills

By Mindy Ruckman
12/20/2019
The Illinois General Assembly passed over 600 new laws in 2019. Some helped taxpayers, but many more hurt as they spent $85 billion while doing little to fix the pension crisis.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, capital plan, consolidation, Cook County, corruption, expungement, free speech, gas tax, government unions, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Illinois General Assembly, JB Pritzker, lawmakers, Luis Arroyo, Martin Sandoval, Open Illinois Checkbook, progressive income tax, public employee unions, record sealing, Springfield, tax hikes, taxes, transparency, vehicle registration, worker freedom

Feds investigating former Cook County assessor, Madigan rainmaker Joe Berrios

By Austin Berg
12/17/2019
The probe potentially opens up a new front in authorities’ investigation of House Speaker Mike Madigan: the property tax appeals game from which he has made millions.

TAGS: appeal, assessor, capital project, Chicago, clout, conflict of interest, Cook County, Cook County assessor, Cook County Democratic Party, corruption, Ed Burke, extortion, federal investigation, house rules, Illinois, Illinois General Assembly, JB Pritzker, Joseph Berrios, law firm, Legislative Inspector General, legislative map, Madigan & Getzendanner, Mike Madigan, objective scoring, property taxes, redistricting, revolving door, Rod Blagojevich, Springfield

New car trade-in tax will hit Illinois drivers New Year’s Day

By Austin Berg
12/12/2019
Illinois will impose a new sales tax on vehicle trade-ins beginning New Year’s Day. That’s why car dealerships have been running radio ads for weeks telling Illinoisans to come on down before the ball drops.

TAGS: Chicago, Cook County, gas tax, Illinois, Illinois General Assembly, JB Pritzker, progressive tax, registration fee, soda tax, Springfield, Toni Preckwinkle, trade-in tax, vehicle registration

More Illinoisans on food stamps this Thanksgiving, 50K recipients will soon need jobs

By Ben Szalinski
11/26/2019
This Thanksgiving, about 17,500 more Illinoisans will be using food stamps. By New Year’s, about 50,000 Cook County recipients must find jobs or lose benefits.

TAGS: able-bodied, constitutional amendment, Cook County, Donald Trump, DuPage County, fast food, food banks, food stamps, Illinois, JB Pritzker, link card, midwest, pension reform, progressive income tax, recovery, SNAP, social services, Thanksgiving

Former Chicago official had side job with red-light camera company

By Ben Szalinski
11/15/2019
The former deputy aviation commissioner had an undisclosed position as a sales representative for SafeSpeed LLC. The red-light camera vendor keeps emerging in federal probes.

TAGS: board of ethics, Chicago, Chicago Board of Ethics, chicago city hall, Chicago Department of Aviation, Cook County, cook county commissioner, department of aviation, federal investigation, IDOT: Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois General Assembly, investigation, Jim Edgar, Martin Sandoval, red light cameras, SafeSpeed, Springfield

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Power in payments: Illinois can help unbanked residents, save money by adopting best practices in payment methods

Each year, tens of billions of dollars flow through Illinois state government.1 These flows all depend on methods of payment. In deciding on those payment methods, policymakers must consider a number of important factors, including security controls, cost effectiveness, accessibility, speed and allowance for choice. This report shows that by adopting best practices across all...

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Ifeoma Nkemdi

Policy lessons from Illinois’ exodus of people and money

By J. Scott Moody, Wendy Warcholik
07/07/2014

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016