By Lawrence McQuillan
10/10/2012
The problem In an interview with Huffington Post, Gov. Pat Quinn said that Illinois needs a progressive income tax.1 “That’s one of my goals before I stop breathing and I sure hope we can get that done in Illinois. Sooner rather than later,” he told the interviewer. The same forces that helped Quinn land the...
By Paul Kersey
08/17/2012
As John Tillman noted yesterday, the last few days have been full of political melodrama as the Illinois General Assembly holds a special session that is unlikely to do more than pass a sliver of a reform — if they can even muster that. But I’d like to call attention to the role that AFSCME is...
By Chris Andriesen
05/04/2012
By now you probably know that I’m no fan of the plastic bag regulationscurrently up for consideration in the House. Neither is the editorial boardof the Chicago Tribune. Since my article ran back in April, I’ve been contacted by Illinois businesses in the plastic bag and film sector, and the message I’m hearing is the same: they...
In the 2011 Legislative Vote Card, the Illinois Policy Institute shines a light on the floor votes in Springfield that mattered most during the calendar year, including key votes from the early January session of the outgoing 96th General Assembly.
A new pension calculator allows individuals to see just how generous government employee pensions really are.
by Kristina Rasmussen Illinois has trouble. Big trouble. Our public pension system is one market crash away from disaster. Our unemployment numbers are over 10 percent. People are hightailing it for greener pastures. You’d think Illinois legislators would focus on turning this state around with bold reforms. Think again. Even as the Illinois General Assembly failed to address the pension crisis,...
by Jacob Huebert In its November veto session, the Illinois General Assembly failed to pass the comprehensive pension reform that Illinois needs to avoid fiscal disaster. But at least it took one step in the right direction: It voted to repeal provisions of state law that allowed a few privileged individuals to receive large public pensions for the years they spent...
by Kristina Rasmussen From the start of discussions over the “tax relief” package being discussed by the Illinois General Assembly, I’ve been concerned about the lack of apparent relief for the middle class. Of the various provisions in the bill (SB397), the one clear measure aimed at providing broad-based relief was supposed to be the personal exemption increase: Illinois...
by Kristina Rasmussen Much to the dismay of families and businesses across the state, the Illinois General Assembly passed the largest tax hike in Illinois’ history earlier this year. People are hurting as a result. Income once earned for the household budget is now sent to government. The job market remains weak. Businesses understandably want relief....
In just ten years, the Illinois General Assembly pushed the burden of billions in government spending onto Illinois’ future generations. Official estimates put Illinois’ unfunded pension liability at $85.6 billion. But that amount does not take into account the $25.8 billion in pension obligation bond (POB) payments still outstanding, which have a net present value...
