Illinois Senate

Veto session week 2 recap

By Donovan Griffith
12/06/2014
Action, or lack thereof, on the 2011 income-tax hikes, a minimum-wage increase, SEIU training and more affect Illinoisans in the wake of a lame-duck death.

TAGS: Chicago, lame duck session

Cook County’s pension reform flop

By Benjamin VanMetre
05/28/2014
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle struck a pension deal for county employees earlier this month. The plan recently materialized into legislation that quickly moved through the Illinois Senate, but has not passed in the Illinois House. Preckwinkle’s plan fails to fundamentally reform pensions and may result in massive tax and fee increases, a reduction...

Rideshare drivers rally to defend their jobs

By Bryant Jackson-Green
05/16/2014
Drivers and supporters of rideshare company Lyft rallied earlier this week on Chicago’s Federal Plaza to urge community members to oppose House Bill 4075, which would restrict ridesharing at the state level. The Illinois Senate approved the bill this week. Thanks in part to the efforts of Illinois Policy Action, the most anti-competitive aspects of...

Illinois GOP leaders introduce executive term limits proposal, Quinn flips opposition

By Brian Costin
04/25/2014
Illinois is one of only 14 states that doesn’t have some form of gubernatorial term-limits. A proposal introduced by Illinois State Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) and Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) would give Illinois voters an opportunity to change that this coming November by enacting eight-year term limits on executive...

Update: The taxi cartel’s attacks on ridesharing in Chicago

04/18/2014
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has backed off a proposal that would have hobbled or destroyed ridesharing services such as uberX and Lyft in Chicago – for now, at least. And when the taxi lobby turned to the Illinois General Assembly for help, they proposed a ridesharing bill full of provisions that would harm consumers and...

LLC fees hurt low-income entrepreneurs

By Michael Lucci
04/07/2014
The Illinois Senate passed Senate Bill 2776 to lower the cost to create a Limited Liability Company to $39 from $500. This piece of legislation, which rightfully received bipartisan support, will take effect immediately upon receiving Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature. LLC fees are unnecessary and harm low-income entrepreneurs. In fact, LLC fees function like a...

Illinois Senate proposes more reverse Robin Hood legislation

By Michael Lucci
03/04/2014
An ironic piece of legislation has been proposed in the Illinois Senate. Senate Bill 3126 would reduce the corporate income tax rate from 7 percent to 3.5 percent, but also raise the minimum wage nearly 50 percent, to $12 from $8.25. Cutting corporate tax rates is a great idea in the state with the fourth-highest...

TAGS: minimum wage

Does Illinois need soda taxes and soda permits?

By Bryant Jackson-Green
02/22/2014
The “Sweetened Beverage Tax” bill – proposed legislation before the Illinois Senate – would impose a tax of one cent per ounce on all “bottled sugar-sweetened beverages” – has already started to receive a lot of attention. According to the bill’s authors, the tax would result in “a 23.5 percent reduction in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption” and “a...

TAGS: soda tax

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Who Lives Below the Poverty Line in Illinois? Family Structure and Education Mark the Highest Risk

A new Illinois Policy Institute analysis finds that adults with no spouse and living with children are most likely to live below the poverty line. Education matters just as much.

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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