Illinois

Increasing State Employee Retirement System costs fall on the backs of Illinois taxpayers

By John Klingner
06/25/2013
Employee contributions to the State Employees’ Retirement System, or SERS, have gone up by 66 percent since 1998. During the same time period, taxpayer contributions to state employee retirements increased by 593 percent. In 2012 alone, Illinois taxpayers contributed $1.1 billion more to SERS than state employees did. And the disparity between taxpayer and employee...

AFSCME vs. Illinois Policy Institute: government pension transparency


By Brian Costin
06/24/2013
In a recent Facebook post, a local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, called a government pension transparency initiative by the Illinois Policy Institute “offensive.” From AFSCME Local 427’s Facebook page: Bills Amended to Address AFSCME Concerns
Assault on State Retiree Privacy (HB 1040 – Rep. Tryon/Sen. Althoff) This bill establishes...

Illinois’ new normal: chronic unemployment

06/22/2013
by Ted Dabrowski and Paul Schumacher Despite Illinois’ improved May unemployment numbers, the state continues to lag the nation in job creation. Illinois has the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation – a position it has held since March. Illinois’ jobless rate dropped to 9.1 percent from 9.3 percent in May, according to the Bureau...

The fight for school choice lives on

06/22/2013
In May of 2010, the Illinois House of Representatives voted down the 2010 voucher bill. My hopes had been high for this bill, because I knew what school choice would mean for Illinois families. Vouchers mean freedom from failing schools; the possibility of students and families choosing their own path instead of being stuck with...

Illinois cigarette tax hike falls $130M short of projected revenues

By Hilary Gowins
06/21/2013
Remember when the state of Illinois said its new $1 cigarette tax would bring in $350 million in additional revenue? Unless this tax garners an additional $138 million in the next 10 days, these lofty projections are about to crash and burn. The cigarette tax hike, which took effect a year ago this month, is...

Illinois’ Comprehensive Annual Financial Report issued 175 days late

By Brian Costin
06/21/2013
If taxpayers don’t file their tax returns by April 15 each year they could face stiff penalties from state and federal government. But what about when government fails to file its financial report to the taxpayers on a timely basis? According to the Government Accounting Standards Board, or GASB, government agencies should release their financial...

Proposed bill makes state board exempt from OMA and FOIA laws

06/20/2013
by Brian Costin The Illinois Policy Institute has long been a supporter of strengthening the Open Meetings Act, or OMA, and Freedom Information Act, or FOIA. Unfortunately, OMA and FOIA often come under attack by the Illinois General Assembly. The most recent assault is in the concealed carry bill that recently passed the House and Senate, and awaits Gov....

Pension plan developed by universities fails to solve Illinois’ pension crisis

By Benjamin VanMetre
06/20/2013
A six-point pension plan created by the Institute of Government and Public Affairs, or IGPA, fails to solve Illinois’ pension problem. That’s because the plan, Senate Bill 2591, maintains the state’s unmanageable defined benefit plan for current employees. It requires all new employees to participate in a hybrid defined benefit and defined contribution pension plan, and...

Capitol Updates: lawmakers push off pension reform in favor of ‘pension conference committee’ during special session

By Jane McEnaney
06/20/2013
State lawmakers were in Springfield yesterday for a special session ordered by Gov. Pat Quinn. As expected, the General Assembly did not take formal votes on any pension reform legislation. Instead, Quinn called for the formation of a conference committee, with the intention of resolving the differences between the House and Senate on pension reform. As a means of breaking up...

Illinois unemployment rate drops to 9.1 percent in May

06/20/2013
by Paul Schumacher The Illinois Department of Employment Security, or IDES, announced today that the Illinois unemployment rate declined to 9.1 percent in May from 9.3 percent in April. Illinois’ unemployment rate is still one and a half percentage points above the national average, which rose to 7.6 percent in May. Source: Illinois Department of Employment Security There...
Load More

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

Illinois’ tax code stands in the way of the state’s economic competitiveness. The combination of high tax burdens and a poor tax structure contributes to the loss of jobs and investment to other states. From a place of former economic dominance, Illinois now ranks 45th in gross state product (GSP) growth over the past decade...

View Report

Report Archive

Take advantage of the various ways to vote

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