Institute for Justice

Michigan curtails civil asset forfeiture

By Bryant Jackson-Green
11/02/2015
Under civil asset forfeiture laws in Illinois and across the country, law enforcement can seize property without proving it was involved in a crime. Illinois should follow Michigan’s lead and reform these unjust laws.

Illinois should strive for better marks on hair-braiding regulations

By Bryant Jackson-Green
07/18/2014
The state of Illinois received a near-failing grade for the quality of its natural-hair-braiding licensing rules, according to a new study released by the Institute for Justice. The study overviews natural-hair-braiding (a popular beauty practice among African and African-American communities in the U.S.) regulations in every state in the country, ranking each one based on...

TAGS: licensing, occupational licensing, regulations, small business

Occupational licensing overkill in Illinois

By Bryant Jackson-Green
07/03/2014
Nearly two in five workers in the U.S. need government permission just to do their jobs. One of the ways that permission is granted is through occupational licensing programs imposed by state and local governments. This setup raises barriers to entry for many professions. The supposed justification for these rules is that they help protect...

TAGS: occupational licensing

Chicago needs more than small gestures for small business

08/02/2013
This week, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office issued a press release boasting of steps the city has taken to make it easier and faster for small businesses to get city licenses. According to the statement, visitors to the city’s Small Business Center can now take advantage of an express lane, a self-service station and additional “customer service”...
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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