State of the state: Pritzker saw worst first-year jobs numbers since Blagojevich

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill
01/27/2020
Illinois job creation lagged the national median in nearly every sector.

TAGS: 401(k), BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Chicago, constitutional amendment, economic competitiveness, economic growth, fair tax, government spending, graduated income tax, housing, housing market, IDES: Illinois Department of Employment Security, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Illinois General Assembly, income, income growth, JB Pritzker, job creation, job market, jobs, jobs growth, labor, labor force, labor force participation rate, neighboring states, outmigration, payroll, pension, pension benefits, pension costs, pension crisis, pension debt, pension reform, pension spending, pensions, personal income, population, population loss, private sector, progressive income tax, progressive tax, public sector, retirement, retirement age, Spending, spending cap, Springfield, state constitution, tax burden, tax hikes, tax increase, U.S. Census Bureau, unemployment

Madigan celebrates 35th anniversary as Illinois House speaker

By Austin Berg
01/12/2020
Illinoisans will soon cast a vote on the biggest ballot question in the history of Madigan’s record-breaking speakership.

TAGS: anniversary, credit rating, Daley, debt, fair tax, FBI, federal investigation, graduated income tax, house rules, House Speaker, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Illinois General Assembly, junk credit rating, legislative map, lobbying, lobbyists, mapmaking, Mike Madigan, patronage, pension crisis, pension debt, population loss, progressive income tax, progressive tax, property taxes, redistricting, Richard Daley, Springfield, tax burden, U.S. Census Bureau

With voters set to decide on progressive income tax, Illinois wealth flight among worst in the nation

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill
01/07/2020
New data shows Illinois since 2010 lost up to $32 billion in income from people moving out. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s graduated income tax plan would hike rates on residents most likely to leave the state, on net.

TAGS: graduated income tax, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Illinois General Assembly, income, IRS: Internal Revenue Service, JB Pritzker, outmigration, pension reform, population, population loss, progressive income tax, progressive tax, spending cap, Springfield, tax rates, U.S. Census Bureau, wealth, wealthy

Indiana is building far more single-family homes than Illinois

By Austin Berg
01/03/2020
The historic change comes as skyrocketing property tax bills eat into Illinois homeowners’ bottom line.

TAGS: constitutional amendment, home values, homeownership, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Illinois General Assembly, Indiana, JB Pritzker, pension costs, pension reform, population, population loss, property taxes, single-family home, Springfield, state constitution, tax burden, tax hikes, tax increase, U.S. Census Bureau, working-age

Illinois saw nation’s worst population loss during the decade

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill
12/30/2019
Illinois suffered its sixth consecutive year of population decline in 2019, driven entirely by residents leaving for other states.

TAGS: 401(k), debt, fiscal, flat tax, general revenue fund, Great Recession, high taxes, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Illinois General Assembly, JB Pritzker, job creation, jobs growth, labor force, Mike Madigan, outmigration, pension debt, pension reform, population, population loss, revenue, shrink, Springfield, tax burden, tax hikes, tax increase, U.S. Census Bureau, working-age

A decade after recession, Illinois’ construction industry is ice cold

By Austin Berg
12/05/2019
Why is Illinois construction so weak? As it turns out, big government programs can’t paper over weak fundamentals.

TAGS: Bureau of Economic Analysis, construction, Erin Guthrie, gas tax, Great Recession, Illinois General Assembly, JB Pritzker, Luis Arroyo, Martin Sandoval, minimum wage, outmigration, Pat Quinn, pension crisis, progressive income tax, property taxes, Springfield, U.S. Census Bureau

Load More

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...

View Report

Report Archive

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