Illinois General Assembly

Illinois’ unpaid bills higher today than when lawmakers passed the 2011 tax hike

By Benjamin VanMetre
11/25/2013
The Illinois General Assembly passed a record income tax increase on individuals and businesses in 2011. And Gov. Pat Quinn promised that it specifically was “designed to pay our bills.” By the end of the current fiscal year, lawmakers will have collected a total of $25.7 billion in new revenue from the 2011 tax hike....

TAGS: debt, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, unpaid bills

Illinois term-limit petition halfway to 300K signature goal

By Brian Costin
11/22/2013
Illinois is one of only 11 states without term limits, but a constitutional referendum proposal to bring the proposed reform to Illinois met a significant milestone. From the Chicago Sun-Times: “Bruce Rauner’s Committee for Legislative Reform and Term Limits has already reached 150,000 petition signatures — the halfway mark to getting onto the Nov. 2014...

TAGS: Bruce Rauner, Committee for Legislative Reform and Term Limits, term limits

Illinois has lowest credit rating of all 50 states

By John Klingner
11/19/2013
Chicago’s recent triple-notch downgrade by Fitch Ratings is a stark reminder that Illinois’ inability to solve its pension crisis has consequences. Illinois has the lowest credit rating of all 50 states. In contrast, three of its neighbors have maintained their AAA rating from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services. Illinois has suffered 13 downgrades from the...

TAGS: Chicago, credit rating, downgrade, pensions

Evanston’s opportunistic nanny state e-cigarette restrictions treat adults like children

By Bryant Jackson-Green
11/18/2013
E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly among smokers of traditional cigarettes looking to kick the habit by moving to a less harmful alternative. So why are Illinois governments wasting taxpayer dollars and time trying to make them harder to buy? The Evanston City Council recently jumped to regulate e-cigarettes under the same...

TAGS: ban, e-cigarettes, ecig, nanny state

Fitch Ratings: Chicago approaching “inflection point”

11/12/2013
Triple-notch credit downgrades for government entities are supposed to be rare. They normally happen only in response to major financial events, such as a sudden fiscal emergency. But Chicago just received its second triple-notch downgrade in just six months. And that spells trouble for Chicago taxpayers. Citing skyrocketing pension costs and a lack of meaningful...

TAGS: Chicago, Chicago Park District, Detroit, downgrade, pensions

Illinois General Assembly passes bill to help Teamsters who picketed funerals

11/12/2013
Since July, Illinois Teamsters have been on strike against funeral home operator Service Corporation International, or SCI, because SCI didn’t offer a contract that the union found satisfactory. At first, the Teamsters fought their battle by aggressively picketing funeral homes SCI owns in Illinois. Among other things, strikers at Illinois funeral homes reportedly blocked mourners...

TAGS: Service Corporation International, Teamsters, Tony Munoz

Parks and wreck

By Ted Dabrowski
11/07/2013
The Illinois General Assembly today approved a pension bill that requires taxpayers to pay an additional $75 million into the Chicago Park District pension fund in addition to tripling the taxpayer contribution to the troubled pension fund. Unfortunately, this bill is mistakenly being heralded by some as a potential model for pension reform. Make no mistake:...

TAGS: Chicago Park District, pensions, Rahm Emanuel

School district salaries left out of Illinois school report cards

By Brian Costin
11/04/2013
The Illinois General Assembly may consider much needed pension reform during the second week of fall veto session, which lasts Nov. 5 until Nov. 7. But they will have to do so without the latest teacher and administrator salary information affecting the state’s largest pension system, the Teachers’ Retirement System, or TRS. Last week the...

TAGS: Illinois State School Report Cards, ISBE: Illinois State Board of Education, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

Illinois’ pension crisis keeps getting worse

By Ted Dabrowski
10/29/2013
Even if Illinois pension funds see investment returns that exceed expectations, that still won’t be enough to plug the largest fund’s hole. The Teachers’ Retirement System reported its pension underfunding grew to $55.73 billion as of June 30, 2013 — an increase of more than $3.5 billion since the end of the previous fiscal year...

TAGS: 401(k), COGFA: Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, Dick Ingram, SURS: State Universities Retirement System, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

Illinois General Assembly ignores citizens on term limits

By Brian Costin
10/26/2013
“It is a safe bet that the General Assembly will never pass a bill limiting its own members’ ability to seek re-election.” – Christopher Mooney, University of Illinois Springfield professor, term-limits expert Overwhelmingly, Illinoisans support term limits. A recent poll showed 78.7 percent of Illinois voters support term limits. But good luck convincing Illinois legislators...

TAGS: term limits

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What is the Education Freedom Tax Credit and how can it benefit Illinois students?

The Education Freedom Tax Credit, also known as the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, will give Illinois students access to donor money if the state opts into the program.

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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