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.
Illinois’ unemployment rate hit 3.9% in September – the first time in decades that the jobless rate went under 4%, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Illinois has a higher percentage of its residents on food stamps than its neighboring states, and has seen a much slower decline in food stamp recipients following the recession.
An Illinois-based energy company will halt construction on a planned $500 million plant, a casualty of the Land of Lincoln’s hostile business environment.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is pushing a progressive state income tax without delivering the numbers to prove his promises. The numbers available from other states make it clear a progressive tax will hurt Illinois’ economy.
The Jeep Cherokee manufacturer plans to lay off nearly 1,400 workers at its Belvidere, Illinois, facility and invest $4.5 billion in a 6,500-job expansion in Michigan.
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.