Illinois

Rescuing Medicaid: How Illinois can reform Medicaid without rate cuts and tax hikes

By Jonathan Ingram
05/17/2012
In February, Gov. Pat Quinn told lawmakers that to rescue Illinois’ Medicaid program, the state would need to “reduce expenditures in the program by $2.7 billion” for fiscal year 2013. But so far, neither Quinn nor lawmakers have proposed a plan that does so. The Illinois Policy Institute has proposed reforming Medicaid into a premium assistance program,...

Why Sen. Brady is wrong about local pension accountability

By Collin Hitt
05/15/2012
Recently, Sen. Bill Brady suggested that local pension accountability would lead to property tax increases (Pension imbalance, May 13, 2012). Not true. The state already increased everyone’s income taxes to pay for pensions. Cutting state expenses will allow for lower taxes. If the state doesn’t reduce pension costs, then other education spending will face cuts....

Unchartered territory: Downstate and suburban families lack school alternatives

By Ted Dabrowski
05/10/2012
The Problem Illinois has fallen behind its neighbors in offering alternatives to students outside major population centers. All children deserve the chance at a brighter future with schools that work best for them. Where choice in education is available, parents respond. Most downstate and suburban parents have few alternatives to their local public schools. A...

Mark Zandi and CTBA trying to pull Keynesian rabbit out of hat

By Lawrence McQuillan
05/09/2012
The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability (CTBA) wants taxes raised on hard-working Illinoisans by at least $2.4 billion annually through a progressive personal income tax, which taxes individual income at ever-higher marginal tax rates. Currently, Illinois has a flat 5 percent income tax. In a recent report, the CTBA argues for this tax hike by...

Why does Illinois need grant transparency?

05/08/2012
Grant transparency in Illinois is vital to ensure that state spending is being used as efficiently and effectively as possible. Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 3773 would strengthen the Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal statute to include grant recipient information collection and reporting. What would this bill do? It would post the purpose and results of grants to nonprofit...

Another Illinois business opposes plastic bag regs

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...
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Fighting poverty with employment: Chicago block clubs

Leaders of these organizations on the South and West sides connect residents to jobs and engage youth to build safer neighborhoods.

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Diana Graham

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