Corruption Watch: January 2015

By Shawn Tonge

02/11/2015

The start of a new year always comes with resolutions for improvement, but only time will tell if they translate into effective action.

TAGS: good government

The anatomy of influence: Government unions in Illinois

By David Giuliani, Chris Andriesen

02/11/2015

The five major government unions in Illinois spent a combined $46 million in political campaigns from 2002 to 2014.

86% of Illinois state lawmakers received money from major government unions since 2002

By David Giuliani

02/06/2015

House Speaker Mike Madigan received more than $1.1 million since 2002 from the state’s five major public unions.

State of the state: 10 pension facts every Illinoisan should know

By Benjamin VanMetre

02/03/2015

How bad the pension crisis really is, and why getting politicians out of the retirement business is the only way to solve it.

TAGS: pensions

New rules for IL General Assembly display politics as usual

By Jane McEnaney

02/01/2015

Among the changes is a new posting requirement that provides only a one-hour notice before a committee hearing, diminishing transparency and accountability.

Illinois Corruption Watch: December 2014

By Brian Costin

01/16/2015

The residential-center horror stories demonstrate that corruption in government often hurts the most vulnerable among us. It also shows that exposing those injustices can lead to change.

TAGS: bribery, Chicago, good government

Quinn’s final battle: governor calls special session for comptroller special election, minimum-wage hike

By Donovan Griffith

12/19/2014

We have yet to see the full schedule for Quinn’s special session, but one thing is for sure, the governor is gearing up for one last battle on very important issues less than a week before a change of leadership.

TAGS: Pat Quinn

Illinois lawmakers deserve praise for holding off on state-funded ObamaCare exchange

By Naomi Lopez Bauman

12/09/2014

It might be rare to heap praise on Illinois’ state lawmakers, but their decision not to move forward on a state-funded exchange deserves recognition.

FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

Illinois students could soon benefit from scholarship money to help them find a tutor, attend ACT or SAT prep sessions, pay tuition, get special education services or assist with other academic needs. That will happen in Illinois only if Gov. J.B. Pritzker lets the state’s schoolchildren benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, established...

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Illinois General Assembly

Corruption Watch: January 2015

The anatomy of influence: Government unions in Illinois

86% of Illinois state lawmakers received money from major government unions since 2002

State of the state: 10 pension facts every Illinoisan should know

New rules for IL General Assembly display politics as usual

Pensions are contracts; nothing more, nothing less

Illinois Corruption Watch: December 2014

Fixing Illinois’ welfare cliffs

Quinn’s final battle: governor calls special session for comptroller special election, minimum-wage hike

Illinois lawmakers deserve praise for holding off on state-funded ObamaCare exchange

FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

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