California

Restoring state pride

By Matt Paprocki
03/06/2015
There are transformational changes on the horizon in Illinois.

Out-migration is breaking Illinois budgets

By Michael Lucci
01/25/2015
eric-allie-illinois-outmigration
Twenty years of flight have wreaked havoc on state and local budgets, causing an estimated $7.6 billion in tax-revenue losses annually. Any long-term fix to Illinois’ budget crisis must address the state’s out-migration crisis.

TAGS: budget

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...

Body cameras for police a win for citizens, officers and taxpayers

By Bryant Jackson-Green
09/23/2014
What’s a low-cost way to improve police accountability in Illinois while saving taxpayer dollars? Some say body cameras for police officers. After the events in Ferguson, MO, several editorials have encouraged Illinois police officers to wear body cameras as a way to deter misconduct, and some departments have already signed on to the idea. But...

TAGS: Chicago, police, police body cameras, police misconduct

Can Illinois’ dead-last credit rating get any worse?

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
09/08/2014
According to ratings agency Standard & Poor’s 500 Illinois’ credit rating is the worst among the 50 states. We are the only state in the country with an A- credit rating – on par with nations such as Botswana, Latvia and Slovenia And Illinoisans should be aware of the possibility that we could be headed...

TAGS: credit rating

Taxpayers on the hook for risky investments in state pension systems

08/15/2014
Politicians have made a mess of Illinois’ finances, in large part through their mismanagement of state and local pension systems. With most of the state’s pension funds heading toward insolvency, it’s no surprise that politicians’ actions – from using government-worker retirements as slush funds, to trading retirement benefits in exchange for union support, to taking...
Load More

Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry

Occupational licensing requirements present one of the steepest barriers to low-income Illinoisans starting careers in beauty services. Illinois requires anyone seeking to become a barber, cosmetologist, nail technician or hair braider to obtain a state license, essentially a permission slip to work. Unlike 45 other states, Illinois offers only one pathway to licensure for each...

View Report

Report Archive

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