With the budget facing a potential $1.2 billion deficit, some ideas on the table include taxing deliveries from companies such as Amazon and digital ads.
Springfield lawmakers are close to hiking road tolls, taxing rideshare services as well as real estate sales for everyone in Cook and the collar counties.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker increased Illinois’ state spending more during his first six state budgets than any other state leader in terms of raw dollars since Gov. George Ryan, who took office more than 25 years ago.
Since 2017, Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara has cut the property tax rate to 1.93% by cutting costs and spending smarter – a playbook other Illinois cities should copy.
Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino is retiring after a 10-year term of monitoring public spending. The scrutiny his own campaign spending drew should have lawmakers rethink how they choose his replacement.
If Illinois state lawmakers follow the Chicago Teachers Union’s push for a 7.92% base corporate tax rate, it can severely hurt Illinois’ competitiveness. Job creators do not need another reason to abandon Illinois.
Illinois’ university system is losing students to other states as prices per student top the nation. The system and its funding need an overhaul, but state leaders instead are considering letting community colleges create even more competition.
Illinois students are struggling to meet proficiency standards on state assessments. Instead of working to improve student learning, the state wants to lower standards to hide the crisis.
The Educational Choice for Children Act continues to progress after it was included in the budget reconciliation bill passed by the U.S. House on May 22. It is cause for hope for 15,000 low-income Illinois students who lost their private-school scholarships in 2023.
Occupational licensing requirements present one of the steepest barriers to low-income Illinoisans starting careers in beauty services. Illinois requires anyone seeking to become a barber, cosmetologist, nail technician or hair braider to obtain a state license, essentially a permission slip to work. Unlike 45 other states, Illinois offers only one pathway to licensure for each...