Indiana

Leaving Illinois: An Exodus of People and Money

12/31/2010
Migration between the U.S. states is the ultimate expression of “voting with your feet.” People move for many reasons, but, when examined en masse, it’s clear that public policy significantly influences where people choose to live.

Spotlight on Spending #19: Late Payments in Illinois

By Chris Andriesen
12/15/2010
The Problem Illinois’s inability to pay vendors on time is destabilizing many businesses with state contracts while at the same time hurting Illinois’s most vulnerable. According to the Illinois Comptroller’s Office, the state had $4.7 billion in payables at the end of the 2010 fiscal year in June and an additional $1.7 billion in additional...

Right to Work In Michigan?

By Paul Kersey
12/10/2010
Michigan is poised to pass a Right-to-Work law in the next couple of days. Union protesters are staked out at the Capitol building making their anti-Right-to-Work opinions known. This is a key point in a huge political battle that will have repercussions that go well beyond the state of Michigan. Your friendly neighborhood labor expert...

While Illinois Considers Raising Taxes, Neighbors Plan to Cut

By Chris Andriesen
11/23/2010
by Wesley Fox While several of Illinois’s neighbors are moving towards cutting taxes to help promote economic growth and job creation, Governor Quinn is pushing hard for an increase in the individual income tax rate to help “solve” Illinois’s budget problems.  If he is successful, Illinois may be the only state in the region that will...

Spotlight on Spending #17: Nationwide Executive Officer Salary Comparison

By Chris Andriesen
11/17/2010
The Problem Previous Institute reports have shown how officials within Illinois’s legislative and judicial branches are paid significantly higher than national averages. Illinois state representatives and senators earn a base salary of $67,836—the fifth-highest legislator salary in the country. Only California, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania pay their legislators more. Judges serving on the state’s...

Key Facts about Illinois

By Chris Andriesen
11/01/2010
The Problem With its resources, location, expansive farmland, and first-class towns and cities, Illinois should be a leading economic powerhouse in the United States. Unfortunately, thanks to an unfriendly business and regulatory climate, Illinois has been underperforming for years. “Rich States, Poor States,” a comprehensive economic performance index authored by Steve Moore, Art Laffer, and...

Charting the Illinois Exodus

09/16/2010
by Ashley Muchow Check it out!  The Tax Foundation released a nifty interactive tool showing state-to-state migration data for a range of years between 1993 and 2008. The tool tracks the flow of both people and their income based on IRS tax return data. You can select any state and track the net inflows and outflows to and from...
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Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry

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...

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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