Look past the faces of Illinois corruption to see the larger problem

By Amy Korte

12/02/2019

Focus too much on single aspects of Illinois corruption and the big picture will be lost, along with chances to fix the problems.

TAGS: Chicago, ComEd, corruption, Danny Solis, Ed Burke, ethics, ethics task force, federal investigation, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, lawmakers, leadership, Legislative Inspector General, lobbying, Luis Arroyo, Martin Sandoval, revolving door, Rod Blagojevich, watchdog

Sandoval resigns Senate seat amid federal corruption probe, effective Jan. 1

By Vincent Caruso

11/27/2019

The once-powerful state officeholder previously resigned as chairman of the influential Illinois Senate Transportation Committee in October.

TAGS: FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation, gas tax, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Senate, JB Pritzker, John Cullerton, Martin Sandoval, McCook, Mike Madigan, red light cameras, SafeSpeed, Senate Transportation Committee, Springfield, Tom Cullerton, transportation

Senate President John Cullerton set to collect $2M pension

By Austin Berg

11/27/2019

Due to a pension sweetener available only to veteran Illinois lawmakers, Cullerton’s annual pension will soon be more than he ever made from his Statehouse salary.

TAGS: Chicago, Emil Jones, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Senate, John Cullerton, Mike Madigan, SERS: State Employee Retirement System, Springfield, tax hikes, teacher salaries, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

Illinois bill would slow transition from lawmaker to lobbyist

By Joe Tabor

11/26/2019

Most states require a wait before lawmakers become lobbyists. Recent federal probes point out the need for Illinois to do the same.

TAGS: cooling off period, corruption, Florida, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Kansas, lawmakers, lobbying, Michigan, revolving door, Springfield

Chicago’s 2020 budget proposal was never truly balanced

By Adam Schuster, Bill Reveille

11/26/2019

Faced with the impossible task of balancing Chicago’s budget without pension reform, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is forced to partially rely on phantom cuts and revenues.

TAGS: bonds, budget, CAFR: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, Chicago, Chicago City Council, Chicago City Hall, constitutional amendment, CTA: Chicago Transit Authority, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, deficit, emergency fee, homelessness, housing market, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, interest rates, library, Lori Lightfoot, Lyft, property taxes, Rahm Emanuel, real estate, real estate transfer tax, tax hikes, tax increase, TIF: Tax Increment Financing, Uber

Illinois is No. 3 for most state regulations, report finds

11/21/2019

A new report confirms what many Illinoisans already knew: the state is one of the most heavily regulated in America, with nearly 260,000 state rules.

TAGS: ban, California, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Senate, JB Pritzker, lawmakers, Mercatus Center, prohibition, regulations, Regulatory Sunrise Review Act, Senate, South Dakota, taxes

Bill aims to pay Illinois lawmakers only for days they actually work

11/15/2019

Lawmakers can currently work one day to qualify for a whole month’s pay. A bill to change that has been stuck in committee since the spring.

TAGS: COLA: cost of living adjustment, house rules, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, lawmaker pay, Luis Arroyo, Mike Murphy, rules committee, Sarah Jimenez, Springfield

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

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, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, investigation, Jim Edgar, Martin Sandoval, red light cameras, SafeSpeed, Springfield

Senate President John Cullerton announces retirement amid sweeping Illinois corruption probe

By Austin Berg

11/14/2019

Cullerton and House Speaker Mike Madigan have held office in the Illinois General Assembly for nearly 90 years combined.

TAGS: corruption, FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation, federal, GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois House of Representatives, Illinois Senate, investigation, John Cullerton, pension spiking, pensions, Springfield

1,179 bills became law last session – just 5% had a price tag

02/19/2019

Fiscal notes serve as price tags on bills in the General Assembly. Lawmakers’ habit of omitting them limits their ability to make well-informed decisions.

TAGS: balanced budget requirement, budget, COGFA: Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, Dale Righter, Fiscal Notes, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, progressive income tax, taxes

ILGA: Illinois General Assembly

Look past the faces of Illinois corruption to see the larger problem

Sandoval resigns Senate seat amid federal corruption probe, effective Jan. 1

Senate President John Cullerton set to collect $2M pension

Illinois bill would slow transition from lawmaker to lobbyist

Chicago’s 2020 budget proposal was never truly balanced

Illinois is No. 3 for most state regulations, report finds

Bill aims to pay Illinois lawmakers only for days they actually work

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

Senate President John Cullerton announces retirement amid sweeping Illinois corruption probe

1,179 bills became law last session – just 5% had a price tag

Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

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