Taxpayers usually get told what raise they will receive. They also get told what raises they will give: to state lawmakers, and by those same lawmakers.
The nation’s longest-serving legislative speaker, a state senator and a former Cook County commissioner were on Illinois’ too-long list of corrupt politicians.
There are limits on gift giving to Illinois state lawmakers, but there are exceptions. Here’s where the state draws the line between generosity and graft.
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s corruption conviction means capturing his likeness in a portrait would be tax dollars poorly spent, one lawmaker says.
Illinois students could soon benefit from scholarship money to help them find a tutor, attend ACT or SAT prep sessions, pay tuition, get special education services or assist with other academic needs. That will happen in Illinois only if Gov. J.B. Pritzker lets the state’s schoolchildren benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, established...