Pension reform for Illinois is essential, not impossible

By Adam Schuster

08/24/2018

Pension reform is a moral imperative. The alternative is a future in which core services are cut, taxes are raised, and pensioners risk losing what they’ve already been promised as the funds go insolvent.

TAGS: GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, Illinois Constitution, municipal pensions, pensions, property taxes, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

Tax hikes vs. reform: Why Illinois must amend its constitution to fix the pension crisis

By Adam Schuster

08/24/2018

Reforming future benefit growth via a constitutional amendment is the only way to ensure the retirement security of government workers, protect taxpayer budgets and fulfill the needs of Illinoisans reliant on core services.

Budget Solutions 2019: The responsible budget for Illinois

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill, Joe Tabor

02/06/2018

Even after a 32 percent income tax hike, the Illinois General Assembly passed a state budget in 2017 that will generate an estimated $1.5 billion deficit in fiscal year 2018. That deficit is projected to grow to $2.15 billion in fiscal year 2019, according to the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, or GOMB. The...

Illinois lawmakers hear testimony for marijuana legalization proposals

By Brendan Bakala

09/07/2017

Two bills to legalize marijuana currently sit in Springfield.

TAGS: criminal justice reform, Heather Steans, Kelly Cassidy, legalization, marijuana

Could this court be the future of criminal justice in Illinois?

By Austin Berg

08/04/2017

The Illinois Department of Corrections pays nearly $22,000 in direct costs per inmate.

TAGS: criminal justice reform, restorative justice

A taxpayer bill of rights would protect residents and encourage lawmakers to budget responsibly

By Madelyn Harwood

06/07/2017

Illinois needs a taxpayer bill of rights to urge policymakers to budget based on available revenue — or be prepared to subject tax increases to direct voter approval.

TAGS: housing, income tax, property taxes, sales tax, TABOR: Taxpayer Bill of Rights

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.

Madigan’s rules: How Illinois gives its House speaker power to manipulate and control the legislative process

By Joe Tabor, Ted Dabrowski

01/04/2017

The little-known legislative rules that govern the legislative process in the Illinois House of Representatives give the House speaker extraordinary power to orchestrate the legislative or political outcomes he or she wants. Those rules allow the speaker to influence the makeup of legislative committees; how lawmakers vote; and when, if ever, the bills get voted...

Ex-offenders less likely to quit their jobs, no more likely to be fired than other employees

By Amy Korte

12/02/2016

Although a new study by Northwestern University researchers shows ex-offenders can make good hires, obstacles such as negligent-hiring liability hinder employers willing to give ex-offenders a chance.

TAGS: ban the box, criminal justice reform, expungement, record sealing, reentry

Illinois lost 80,000 millennials between 2011-2015

By Madelyn Harwood

11/22/2016

Millennial out-migration from the Land of Lincoln is worse than all its neighboring states.

TAGS: millennials, outmigration, U.S. Census Bureau

Colorado

Pension reform for Illinois is essential, not impossible

Tax hikes vs. reform: Why Illinois must amend its constitution to fix the pension crisis

Budget Solutions 2019: The responsible budget for Illinois

Illinois lawmakers hear testimony for marijuana legalization proposals

Could this court be the future of criminal justice in Illinois?

A taxpayer bill of rights would protect residents and encourage lawmakers to budget responsibly

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

Madigan’s rules: How Illinois gives its House speaker power to manipulate and control the legislative process

Ex-offenders less likely to quit their jobs, no more likely to be fired than other employees

Illinois lost 80,000 millennials between 2011-2015

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

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