• Our Story
  • Your Story
  • Policy Research
    • Budget + Tax
    • Jobs + Growth
    • Good Government
    • Labor
    • Pensions
    • Education
    • Criminal Justice
    • Center for Poverty Solutions
    • Chicago Policy Center
    • En Español
  • Take Action
Donate

Illinois’
comeback
story
starts here.

  • Home
  • Our Story
    • Leadership
    • Staff
    • Senior Fellows
    • Jobs
    • Annual Reports
  • Your Story
  • Take Action
    • Lawmakers
    • Contact Your Rep
    • Join the Fight
  • Policy Research
    • Center for Poverty Solutions
    • Chicago Policy Center
    • Budget + Tax
    • Criminal Justice
    • Education
    • Good Government
    • Jobs + Growth
    • Labor
    • Pensions
  • Reports
  • Cartoons
  • Press Releases
  • Policy Shop
  • FAQs
  • Contact
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Donate
  • Privacy Policy

Editorial: Illinois’ very slow COVID-19 recovery painted as a win by state leaders

By Hilary Gowins
05/20/2024
State leaders issued a report touting Illinois’ abandonment of representational government in favor of executive fiat during the pandemic as effective. They failed to take responsibility for job recovery lagging the nation by a year and seeing public schools suffer.

TAGS: COVID-19, JB Pritzker

Pritzker to end Illinois’ emergency orders after more than 3 years

By Dylan Sharkey
01/31/2023
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced he will follow President Biden and end Illinois’ disaster declarations on May 11. Most states long ago quit using emergency powers, leaving Illinois as 1 of 7 states still claiming COVID-19 is a public health emergency.

TAGS: COVID-19, JB Pritzker

Pritzker issues 38th COVID-19 emergency order

By Dylan Sharkey
01/09/2023
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker extended his COVID-19 emergency powers into his second term. Illinois is 1 of only 9 states still claiming disaster status as a result of COVID-19.

TAGS: COVID-19, JB Pritzker

Illinois 1 of 10 states still under covid emergency powers

By Dylan Sharkey
12/14/2022
Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his 37th COVID-19 disaster proclamation. Illinois is one of only 10 states living under an emergency order.

TAGS: COVID-19, JB Pritzker

Small businesses led Illinois’ COVID-19 jobs recovery

By Bryce Hill
11/23/2022
Small Business Saturday offers a reason to be extra thankful: businesses with fewer than 20 employees were the only ones to grow payrolls since COVID-19 hit.

TAGS: COVID-19, small business

Pritzker extends COVID emergency powers for 33rd time

By Dylan Sharkey
08/23/2022
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is declaring Illinois a disaster for the 33rd time since the pandemic began, meaning he’s given himself emergency powers for nearly 70% of his term.

TAGS: COVID-19, emergency powers, JB Pritzker

10 Illinois metro areas gain jobs, only 1 recovers from pandemic

By Bryce Hill
08/02/2022
Only Bloomington has recouped early 2020 job losses, which is bad news for Illinois’ lagging economy as recession fears increase.

TAGS: Bloomington, COVID-19, economic recovery, jobs, unemployment

Amendment 1 would give teachers unions more power over students’ health

08/01/2022
The number of students enrolling in Chicago Public Schools continues to fall as teachers’ unions impose COVID-19 policies and infringe on parents’ choices about their childrens’ health and safety. A ballot proposal would make that worse.

TAGS: Amendment 1, Chicago, COVID-19, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, government unions, mask mandate, parenting, public schools, teachers union

Illinois still missing 1 in 7 jobs lost during pandemic

By Bryce Hill
08/01/2022
With the highest unemployment rate in the Midwest and 117,000 jobs still missing, Illinois’ labor market is among the least recovered in the region.

TAGS: coronavirus, COVID-19, economic recovery, employment, job creation, jobs

Pritzker gives himself emergency COVID powers for 32nd time

By Dylan Sharkey
07/25/2022
Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared Illinois a disaster zone for the 32nd time. When this declaration ends, he will have given himself emergency powers for 895 days – more than two-thirds of his term.

TAGS: COVID-19, emergency powers, JB Pritzker

Load More
Center for Poverty Solutions / Research Report

Beyond degrees: Empowering Illinoisans through career-first education


Published June 3, 2025 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The best path to empowerment and success, especially for poor people, is work. Work allows us to prosper while providing dignity, upward mobility, the means to support ourselves and create value for others. It’s how we become thriving members of our community. Central to this process is our education...

View Report

Report Archive

Budget + Tax / Your Story

Allan Luzbetak

Labor / Policy Point

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014
Illinois Policy In the News

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

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016

Chicago Office | Illinois Policy
300 S. Riverside Plaza | Suite 1650 |
Chicago, IL 60606
t 312.346.5700  f 312.346.5700

Copyright © 2025 Illinois Policy |
Illinois' comeback story starts here

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

results for
Sort by: |