Feds indict champion of Illinois gas tax hike, ‘fair tax’ on tax fraud and bribery

By Vincent Caruso

01/27/2020

The former chair of the influential Senate Transportation Committee is the fourth Illinois politician indicted on federal charges amid a sweeping FBI probe.

TAGS: bribery, Chicago, conflict of interest, corruption, Ed Burke, embezzlement, ethics, fair maps, fair tax, FBI, federal, federal government, federal investigation, fraud, gas tax, graduated income tax, graduation rate, house rules, IDOT: Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois, Illinois General Assembly, IRS: Internal Revenue Service, JB Pritzker, Legislative Inspector General, Luis Arroyo, Martin Sandoval, Mike Madigan, pork, pork barrel spending, progressive income tax, progressive tax, red light cameras, redistricting, revolving door, SafeSpeed, Senate Transportation Committee, Smart Scale, Springfield, tax fraud, transparency, waste, watchdog

Bill would stop Pritzker from paying state workers on the side

By Brad Weisenstein

01/12/2020

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has used his private fortune to pay $3 million in state expenses, including boosting salaries of 16 top staffers. Some lawmakers want the ‘unethical’ practice to stop.

TAGS: bipartisan, clout, conflict of interest, corruption, fair maps, house rules, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Illinois General Assembly, independent maps, JB Pritzker, lawmaker pay, lawmakers, Legislative Inspector General, legislative map, lobbying, lobbyists, mapmaking, revolving door, salary increase, Smart Scale, Springfield, watchdog

FBI asking about Madigan money, political clout in corruption investigation

By Austin Berg

12/06/2019

There is little doubt the FBI is targeting the longtime House speaker and Democratic political boss in their sweeping investigation of Illinois corruption.

TAGS: blank check, ComEd, Commonwealth Edison, conflict of interests, corruption, Democratic Party, ethics, fair maps, fair tax, FBI, federal investigation, gerrymandering, house rules, Illinois, Illinois General Assembly, independent maps, lawmakers, Mike Madigan, revolving door, rules committee, Springfield, watchdog

As corruption looms large in Illinois, Pritzker reforms are MIA

By Austin Berg

07/25/2019

Tackling Illinois corruption isn’t just a moral imperative. It’s a financial necessity.

TAGS: corruption, fair maps, house rules, JB Pritzker, Legislative Inspector General, lobbying, Madigan & Getzendanner, Mike Madigan, redistricting, revolving door

The time is ripe for Illinois to end gerrymandering

By Austin Berg

06/27/2019

With support for fair maps in the Illinois General Assembly, a hungry electorate and a national conversation on gerrymandering, is the Land of Lincoln finally ready to change its own backwards mapmaking?

TAGS: fair maps, gerrymandering, JB Pritzker, Mike Madigan, redistricting

To end gerrymandering, Pritzker should push redistricting reform

By Joe Tabor

04/23/2019

Illinois’ governor pledged to veto any map gerrymandered by state lawmakers, but it’s the process of mapmaking that needs to change.

TAGS: fair maps, independent maps, JB Pritzker, Mike Madigan, redistricting

Can Pritzker keep promise to stop Illinois gerrymandering?

By Austin Berg

01/24/2019

In the end, redistricting reform could come under the dome in Springfield or by clipboards and signatures on street corners. Either way, those efforts are only helped by the governor holding on to his campaign promise.

TAGS: fair maps, JB Pritzker, Mike Madigan

Nearly half of Illinois House candidates face no opponent

By Austin Berg

11/01/2018

House Speaker Mike Madigan has drawn Illinois’ legislative maps for three of the past four decades.

TAGS: Bruce Rauner, election, fair maps, Illinois House of Representatives, Illinois Senate, JB Pritzker, Mike Madigan

U.S. Supreme Court agrees to take up Wisconsin gerrymandering case

By Marianna Schmiesing

08/03/2017

Illinois’ election districts heavily dilute suburban vote.

TAGS: election, fair maps, gerrymandering, independent maps, U.S. Supreme Court, Wisconsin

Group that blocked independent redistricting reform contributed $6.6M to Madigan-controlled political organizations

By Eric Kohn

11/02/2016

Since 1994, members of The People’s Map — which sued to keep a legislative map reform amendment off Illinois’ November ballot — and their employers have given over $6.6 million to Friends of Michael J. Madigan, the Democratic Majority and the Democratic Party of Illinois, which House Speaker Mike Madigan chairs.

TAGS: fair maps, gerrymandering, independent maps, Mike Madigan

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

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Ifeoma Nkemdi

Policy lessons from Illinois’ exodus of people and money

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