Hastert will continue receiving $28K pension from Illinois lawmakers’ pension fund

By Amy Korte

04/29/2016

Despite being sentenced to 15 months in prison for a financial crime intended to cover up his sexual abuse of high school students, former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert will continue to receive $28,000 annual pension payments for his six years as an Illinois state representative.

TAGS: corruption, GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, pensions

School district consolidation a step toward much-needed property tax relief

By Ted Dabrowski

04/28/2016

Illinois has 859 local school districts – the fifth-most in the nation.

TAGS: education, property taxes, school district consolidation

The SEIU is hurting Illinois caregivers

By Austin Berg

04/28/2016

Since 2014, nearly 12,000 Illinois caregivers have stopped paying SEIU costing the union $4.4 million in dues and fees.

TAGS: SEIU: Service Employees International Union

AFSCME’s actions show union unwilling to negotiate contract taxpayers can afford

By Mailee Smith

04/28/2016

AFSCME’s push for HB 580, which would allow a panel of unelected arbitrators to draft a binding contract between the state and the union, is the latest power play in AFSCME’s long and uncompromising battle for pay hikes and benefits that could cost Illinois taxpayers more than $3 billion.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees

Illinois property taxes highest in the US, double national average

By Austin Berg

04/28/2016

Illinois homeowners are struggling under the weight of the nation’s highest property-tax bills, according to a new analysis.

TAGS: property taxes

Short-term state funding won’t fix Illinois’ systemic higher-education crisis

By John Klingner

04/27/2016

Illinois’ public colleges and universities used to be affordable, but schools have increased tuition from 74-112 percent over the last decade to help pay for administrative hiring sprees and skyrocketing pensions.

TAGS: higher education, pensions, SURS: State Universities Retirement System

Labor board finds CTU’s April 1 strike likely illegal

By Jeffrey Schwab

04/27/2016

The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board determined there is enough evidence of the illegality of CTU’s April 1 walkout for CPS to pursue a court order to prevent CTU from waging any similar strikes.

TAGS: Chicago, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, education

Progressive tax would introduce marriage penalty into Illinois tax code

By Michael Lucci

04/27/2016

Replacing Illinois’ fair, flat income tax with a progressive tax would mean that some married couples with both spouses working would pay more in state income taxes than if they remained single.

TAGS: graduated income tax, income tax, progressive income tax

Illinois’ tax shell games means taxpayers can’t hold their governments accountable

By Craig Lesner

04/26/2016

In 2015 alone, Illinois state government redistributed more than $12 billion in income and other taxes to local governments. These financial shell games have created a needlessly complex system and make it difficult for local taxpayers to hold their governments accountable.

TAGS: LGDF: Local Government Distributive Fund, local government, PPRT: Personal Property Replacement Tax, taxes

Property-tax freeze bill passes Illinois House

By Hilary Gowins

04/26/2016

House Bill 696 would freeze property taxes across the state. Under the plan, local governments could still increase rates, but only with approval from voters. The bill doesn’t apply to home-rule governments, however. That’s no small exemption: 7.8 million Illinoisans live in a home-rule municipality such Chicago, Naperville or Peoria. This number also doesn’t account for Cook County, which is also home-rule, and would be exempted from this property-tax freeze.

TAGS: property taxes

Illinois

Hastert will continue receiving $28K pension from Illinois lawmakers’ pension fund

School district consolidation a step toward much-needed property tax relief

The SEIU is hurting Illinois caregivers

AFSCME’s actions show union unwilling to negotiate contract taxpayers can afford

Illinois property taxes highest in the US, double national average

Short-term state funding won’t fix Illinois’ systemic higher-education crisis

Labor board finds CTU’s April 1 strike likely illegal

Progressive tax would introduce marriage penalty into Illinois tax code

Illinois’ tax shell games means taxpayers can’t hold their governments accountable

Property-tax freeze bill passes Illinois House

Taxed out: 10 reforms to stop Illinois from losing people and jobs

Report Archive

Take advantage of the various ways to vote

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students