Dwight Kay

Online transparency measures advance in Illinois

By Brian Costin
05/30/2014
A key portion of the Institute’s 10-Point Transparency Checklist, the posting of audits online, has made its way through the Illinois General Assembly. House Bill 5503 passed both Illinois House and Senate unanimously, and now awaits the governor’s signature. If signed into law by the governor, HB 5503, introduced by state Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon,...

A principled stand against pension “fix”

By Matt Paprocki
12/04/2013
Lawmakers met in Springfield on Tuesday for a special session on pension reform. After an early morning committee hearing, a gathering of each of the four legislative caucuses and several hours of lengthy floor debates, a pension bill passed the House and Senate, and now awaits Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature. The Illinois Policy Institute adamantly...

TAGS: Brad Halbrook, Brian Stewart, Dale Righter, Dan Duffy, David Harris, David Luechtefeld, defined benefit plans, Dwight Kay, Jason Barickman, Jeanne Ives, Joe Sosnowski, Kyle McCarter, pensions, Senate Bill 1, Tom Cross, Tom Morrison

Despite the many problems Illinois faces, there is much to be thankful for

By Matt Paprocki, Jane McEnaney
11/28/2013
Working at free market think tank in Illinois, it’s easy to get discouraged by bad policies. Despite the many problems Illinois faces, there is much to be thankful for. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are some of the things we are most thankful for this year: Illinois’ flat income tax. Illinois’ current flat tax...

TAGS: fair tax, flat tax, income tax, Jeanne Ives, Joe Sosnowski, Kyle McCarter, Matt Murphy, Patti Bellock, Ron Sandack, Tom Morrison

Illinois lawmakers who have signed anti-progressive tax resolution

By Jane McEnaney
10/18/2013
As the Illinois General Assembly heads back to Springfield for veto session next week, here is a quick look at what elected officials have signed on to the Illinois Policy Institute’s legislative efforts to prevent lawmakers from amending the state’s constitution to permit a progressive income tax hike, which would increase taxes on 85 percent...

TAGS: fair tax, flat tax, graduated income tax, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, progressive income tax

Legislators call for Chicago Public Schools to play by the same education funding rules

10/15/2013
Chicago Public Schools, or CPS, has been getting special treatment from the state for almost 20 years when it comes to funding for special education, transportation and nutrition programs. According to a recent report in the Belleville News-Democrat, CPS received $607 million in a special block grant from the state last year for these programs...

TAGS: CPS: Chicago Public Schools, Dwight Kay, Sandy Pihos, TIF: Tax Increment Financing

Capitol Updates: April 29 week in review

By Jane McEnaney
05/03/2013
This was an eventful week in Springfield with both chambers in session. Virtual charter school moratorium bill moves to Senate subcommittee The Senate Education Committee did not hear House Bill 494 during its hearing on Tuesday, so the Illinois Policy Institute’s Vice President of Policy, Ted Dabrowski, was unable to testify in opposition to the bill as planned. Instead,...

PRESS RELEASE: Illinois Policy Institute applauds House Resolution opposing graduated income tax

03/31/2013
PRESS RELEASE from the ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE MEDIA CONTACT: Diana Rickert diana@IllinoisPolicy.org or (312) 607-4977 Illinois Policy Institute applauds House Resolution opposing graduated income tax Implementing a “graduated” or “progressive” tax structure in Illinois would mean tax hikes for middle class Illinoisans SPRINGFIELD (April 15, 2013) – Across the state, tax hike advocates are laying...

TAGS: progressive income tax

Collective bargaining transparency bill HB 2689 shot down in House Committee

By Paul Kersey
03/14/2013
Yesterday a bill that would allow the public to see union contracts and comment on them before they are signed stalled in committee, becoming yet another victim of pressure from union officials who want to keep the public in the dark about the deals they make. The bill actually had both supporters and opponents from...

State lawmakers sponsor legislation to match Budget Solutions reforms

By Jane McEnaney
03/04/2013
On Feb. 28, the Illinois Policy Institute held a press conference to publicly release its alternative budget plan, entitled Budget Solutions 2014. This 10-point plan offers responsible solutions to Illinois’ fiscal crisis. State Reps. Tom Morrison, Jeanne Ives, Dwight Kay and state Sen. Kyle McCarter showed their support and attended the press conference. Budget Solutions...
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Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

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.

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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