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

New taxes and fees on Illinois driving, vehicles total $1.9B

By Ben Szalinski
12/05/2019
Jan. 1 marks a second wave of taxes aimed at drivers to support an infrastructure package championed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and shrouded in corruption allegations.

TAGS: capital plan, drivers, driving, gas tax, Illinois, Illinois General Assembly, infrastructure, JB Pritzker, Luis Arroyo, Martin Sandoval, motor fuel tax, parking garages, parking tax, progressive income tax, public works, Rebuild Illinois, Springfield, trade-in tax, vehicle registration

Up to 140,000 able-bodied Illinoisans may need jobs to get food stamps in 2020

By Vincent Caruso
12/05/2019
Just Cook County food stamp recipients were facing work requirements Jan. 1 if they were under age 50, able-bodied and had no dependents. Now the rules will apply throughout Illinois starting April 1.

TAGS: criminal justice reform, Donald Trump, food stamps, Foundation for Government Accountability, Illinois, Illinois General Assembly, job creation, jobs, jobs growth, labor force participation rate, Michigan, National Conference of State Legislatures, over-regulation, regulation, regulations, small business, SNAP, Springfield, tax burden, unemployment, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Repeal Day: Prohibition ended 86 years ago, but Illinois’ alcohol taxes, regulations remain sobering

By Vincent Caruso
12/05/2019
With the ratification of the 21st Amendment, 1933 marked the end of Prohibition in the United States. Illinois, however, has continued to serve a cocktail of prohibitive regulations on alcoholic beverages.

TAGS: alcohol tax, Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois, bootlegging, brewery, Bruce Rauner, capital plan, Chicago, cocktail, craft beer, distillery, Hospitality Business Association of Chicago, Illinois, Illinois General Assembly, JB Pritzker, licensure, Liquor Control Act, liquor laws, midwest, over-regulation, prohibition, regulation, repeal, Sara Feigenholtz, soda tax, taproom, taxes, Toni Preckwinkle, trade, vape ban, vaping, Wine & Spirits Distributors of Illinois, winery

Illinois lawmakers should hold Pritzker to his ‘fair maps’ promise

By Austin Berg
12/03/2019
Even without a constitutional amendment, there are changes lawmakers could make as soon as session resumes to get politics out of mapmaking.

TAGS: amendment, bipartisan, commission, ethics, gerrymandering, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Illinois General Assembly, Illinois House of Representatives, Illinois Senate, JB Pritzker, lawmakers, legislative district, legislative map, lobbyists, nepotism, redistricting, reform, Springfield, task force, uncontested

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, Illinois, Illinois General Assembly, lawmakers, leadership, Legislative Inspector General, lobbying, lobbyists, Luis Arroyo, Martin Sandoval, politicians, recusal, 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, gas tax, Illinois, Illinois General Assembly, Illinois Senate, JB Pritzker, John Cullerton, Martin Sandoval, McCook, Mike Madigan, red light cameras, SafeSpeed, Senate Transportation Committee, Springfield, Summit, 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, Illinois, Illinois General Assembly, Illinois Senate, John Cullerton, Mike Madigan, pension benefits, pension costs, pension crisis, pension debt, pension reform, retirement, senate president, SERS: State Employee Retirement System, six-figure, Springfield, tax hikes, teacher salaries, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

As nation celebrates small businesses, Illinois considers taxing them more

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill
11/27/2019
Most new jobs in Illinois are created by small businesses, yet state leaders are asking voters to hurt them by raising taxes on these employment dynamos.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, business climate, C-corp, capital, capital investment, entrepreneurs, Great Recession, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, investment, JB Pritzker, job creation, jobs growth, levy, mom and pop, neighboring states, over-regulation, pension reform, progressive income tax, recovery, regulation, S-corp, small business, small business saturday, spending cap, tax climate, taxes, tennessee, Texas, wages

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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