Illinois

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, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, job creation, jobs, labor force participation rate, Michigan, National Conference of State Legislatures, 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, Bruce Rauner, capital plan, Chicago, craft beer, distillery, Hospitality Business Association of Chicago, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, JB Pritzker, Liquor Control Act, liquor laws, Midwest, prohibition, Sara Feigenholtz, soda tax, taxes, Toni Preckwinkle, vape ban, vaping, Wine & Spirits Distributors of Illinois

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

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, entrepreneurs, Great Recession, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, investment, JB Pritzker, job creation, progressive income tax, s-corp, small business, spending cap, taxes, Tennessee, Texas

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

Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.

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Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014

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

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016