Indiana

Bipartisan success 2013

By Matt Paprocki, Jane McEnaney
12/19/2013
The Illinois Policy Institute introduced the only comprehensive pension reform plan during the 2013 legislative session. The Institute’s pension solution is the first plan that shifts Illinois workers out of the state’s broke defined benefit system and into a 401(k)-style plan, giving workers control and the pension system solvency. The introduction of this legislation has...

Illinois employers warn of nearly 1,800 layoffs

By Hilary Gowins
12/13/2013
Nearly 1,800 workers will be laid off throughout Illinois in the next two months. This unfortunate holiday news will affect nearly 500 Dominick’s employees as the company prepares to close up shop in Illinois. The latest round of notices includes 141 workers from the company’s Oak Brook headquarters and another 332 workers at its Northlake...

Property tax rates skyrocket in Illinois, 2nd-highest in U.S.

By Brian Costin
12/05/2013
Illinois’ property tax rates have skyrocketed since 2010, according to new analysis done by the Tax Policy Center. The survey examined the 23 Illinois counties with populations exceeding 65,000. The average property tax rates as a percent of home value has soared from 1.93 percent in 2010 to 2.28 percent in 2012. This represents an 18 percent property...

TAGS: property taxes

Disappearance of Illinois’ manufacturing sector

By Justin Hegy
10/10/2013
It’s hard not to notice the disappearance of Illinois’ manufacturing sector. Anyone driving through the outskirts of Peoria can witness the closed buildings and half-abandoned neighborhoods. Cities all across Illinois have seen a similar story unfold. Illinois’ manufacturing base has been in decline, losing over 130,000 manufacturing jobs in the past decade. Even during the...

TAGS: progressive income tax

Indiana sues IRS over ObamaCare employer mandate

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
10/09/2013
While the media and public are focused on lawmakers’ fight over ObamaCare and the federal budget, a bigger fight is taking place in the courts. On Oct. 8, the state of Indiana, along with 15 school districts, filed suit against the Internal Revenue Service over ObamaCare’s employer mandate. Under the law, large employers are required...

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act, U.S. Supreme Court

Illinois’ unfriendly business environment killing jobs, growth

By Benjamin VanMetre
10/09/2013
A new Tax Foundation report reveals one of the reasons why Illinoisans are finding it so hard to get jobs – it’s getting more and more expensive for businesses to operate in Illinois. The Tax Foundation released today its 2014 State Business Tax Climate Index, confirming the state’s worsening position. Illinois has dropped 15 spots to...

TAGS: State Business Tax Climate Index

Shrinking the Illinois Senate

By Brian Costin
10/08/2013
With 42,336 elected officials as of 1992, Illinois has nearly 12,000 more state and local elected politicians than any other state. Amazingly, with this unprecedented wealth of legislators Illinois hasn’t been able to adequately address some of its most dire problems. Illinois still ranks near the bottom of the nation in numerous key economic indicators,...

TAGS: term limits

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4 ways to break out of Illinois’ pension trap

Causes, costs, how to set the state free

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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