Holiday scratch-offs are no gift to Illinois schools

By Patrick Andriesen

12/18/2022

A closer look at Illinois’ lottery legislation shows lawmakers historically diverted funding away from the classroom. Despite recent legislation, outsized holiday scratcher sales still only translate to slight gains for public schools.

TAGS: illinois lottery

Holiday scratch-offs win bupkis for Illinois students

12/23/2020

Anyone betting those lottery tickets they gifted will help education would lose.

TAGS: education, illinois lottery, pensions, public schools

State of Illinois previously owned helicopter in crash that killed Kobe Bryant

By Austin Berg

01/26/2020

The state sold the helicopter in 2015 to ease budgetary pressures.

TAGS: budget, credit rating, Illinois, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Moody's Investor Service, NBA: National Basketball Association, Springfield

Budget Solutions 2020: A 5-year plan to balance Illinois’ budget, pay off debt and cut taxes

By Adam Schuster

02/04/2019

Gov. J.B. Pritzker inherited a $2.8 billion budget deficit the moment he stepped into office. Next year, that deficit is projected to be $3.4 billion1. It’s the same story every budget season. But Illinois’ budget crises could be a thing of the past if the state would adopt pension reform, right-size its union contracts and...

Illinois’ youth problem: More millennials left Illinois than any other age demographic from 2011 through 2014

By Madelyn Harwood

05/17/2017

By fixing cost drivers, decreasing the cost of doing business in Illinois, and easing the tax burden, Illinois can encourage jobs growth and stand a better chance at attracting and retaining younger people.

What’s driving Illinois’ $111 billion pension crisis

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

04/07/2016

Retirement ages, COLAs and out-of-sync pension payouts

IL Supreme Court expedites pension battle

By Benjamin VanMetre

12/12/2014

The expedited hearing is good news. It means the state will know specifically what it can do to address its $111 billion unfunded pension debt sooner rather than later.

TAGS: pensions, Senate Bill 1, U.S. Supreme Court

Federal judge: Pensions not as protected as you think

By John Klingner

10/08/2014

Contrary to popular belief, government-worker pensions are not untouchable, at least according to the federal courts. The federal judge in charge of the bankruptcy proceedings of Stockton, California, has ruled that city-worker pension debt must be treated like any other form of debt and could be adjusted under federal bankruptcy law. The ruling is a...

Illinois corruption watch, August 2014

By Brian Costin

09/05/2014

At least 84 corruption-related stories have been reported from across the state of Illinois in August alone. Atop August headlines is the recent revelation that a federal grand jury subpoenaed the emails of Gov. Pat Quinn’s ex-chief of staff in relation to Quinn’s anti-violence grant program. The case, which has been referred to by some...

TAGS: Chicago, corruption, cronyism, transparency, waste

Illinois corruption watch, July 2014

By Brian Costin

08/09/2014

The bad news keeps piling up for Illinoisans. Illinois Policy’s “corruption watch” blog series hit a new high in the month of July with nearly 100 corruption-related stories. Chicago and Springfield are the two cities most synonymous with the state’s corruption woes. Unsurprisingly, both cities dominated headlines with the top two corruption stories of the...

Associated Press

Holiday scratch-offs are no gift to Illinois schools

Holiday scratch-offs win bupkis for Illinois students

State of Illinois previously owned helicopter in crash that killed Kobe Bryant

Budget Solutions 2020: A 5-year plan to balance Illinois’ budget, pay off debt and cut taxes

Illinois’ youth problem: More millennials left Illinois than any other age demographic from 2011 through 2014

What’s driving Illinois’ $111 billion pension crisis

IL Supreme Court expedites pension battle

Federal judge: Pensions not as protected as you think

Illinois corruption watch, August 2014

Illinois corruption watch, July 2014

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