In the wake of George Floyd’s death, Springfield has essential work to do

By Austin Berg

06/05/2020

Illinois lawmakers cannot afford to delay action in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

TAGS: BLM: Black Lives Matter, criminal justice reform, Curtis Tarver, Don Harmon, George Floyd, JB Pritzker, Justin Slaughter, Kam Buckner, labor, Lamont Robinson, Maurice West, Mike Madigan, police, police misconduct

Illinois lawmakers returning to deal with $7B budget hole, COVID-19 fallout

05/19/2020

What to watch for as the Illinois General Assembly convenes for the first time in more than two months.

TAGS: budget, coronavirus, COVID-19, progressive income tax, special session

Opposition to Pritzker’s lockdown spreading rapidly

By Brad Weisenstein

05/15/2020

Opposition to Pritzker’s order is growing, as small business owners sue to challenge the governor’s ability to order them into ruin.

TAGS: coronavirus, COVID-19, executive order, reopen, small business, stay-at-home

Pritzker should look to other states to develop a responsible reopening plan

By Amy Korte

05/01/2020

Uncertainty is amplifying the difficulty of the COVID-19 crisis, and Illinoisans need information on what a safe reopening will look like.

TAGS: coronavirus, COVID-19, economy, executive order, small business

Every Illinois metro area loses population for second year in a row

By Bryce Hill

03/27/2020

New census data reveals that for a second year, all 10 metro areas based primarily in Illinois experienced population decline.

TAGS: outmigration, population, tax burden, tax hikes, U.S. Census Bureau

Illinois pensions 101: Paltry contributions yield million-dollar payouts

By Adam Schuster

01/17/2020

Across all five state retirement systems, typical career workers pay for about 5% of the cost of their pension benefits. They receive an average of $1.7 million to $3.6 million.

TAGS: Edgar Ramp, firefighter pensions, GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, government employees, government services, government unions, government workers, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Jim Edgar, JRS: Judges’ Retirement System, municipal government, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, police pensions, public sector, retirement age, Rod Blagojevich, SERS: State Employee Retirement System, Social Security, social services, Springfield, SURS: State Universities Retirement System, tax hikes, tax increase, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

Indiana has seen more single-family homes than Illinois for 10 years in a row

By Austin Berg

01/13/2020

Indiana has around half the population of Illinois. But its building new homes at a rate more than 60% higher.

TAGS: construction, development, Great Recession, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Indiana, JB Pritzker, pensions, property taxes, recession, Springfield

Illinois personal income growth 2nd lowest in U.S. since Great Recession

By Bryce Hill

01/09/2020

Only Mississippi has fared worse than Illinois in personal income growth since the Great Recession hit at the end of 2007. Analysis shows state income taxes matter.

TAGS: corporate income tax, flat tax, graduated income tax, Great Recession, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, income, income growth, income tax, JB Pritzker, labor, marginal tax, personal income, population, progressive income tax, recession, Springfield, tax burden

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, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Indiana, JB Pritzker, population, property taxes, Springfield, tax burden, tax hikes, tax increase, U.S. Census Bureau, working-age

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...

Colorado

In the wake of George Floyd’s death, Springfield has essential work to do

Illinois lawmakers returning to deal with $7B budget hole, COVID-19 fallout

Opposition to Pritzker’s lockdown spreading rapidly

Pritzker should look to other states to develop a responsible reopening plan

Every Illinois metro area loses population for second year in a row

Illinois pensions 101: Paltry contributions yield million-dollar payouts

Indiana has seen more single-family homes than Illinois for 10 years in a row

Illinois personal income growth 2nd lowest in U.S. since Great Recession

Indiana is building far more single-family homes than Illinois

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

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