New York

Kate Piercy’s Testimony on Workers’ Compensation Reform

By Kate Campaigne Piercy
12/03/2010
Testimony of Kate Piercy, Director of Government Reform, Illinois Policy Institute Submitted to the Special Committee on Workers’ Compensation Reform Friday, December 3, 2010 Co-Chairpersons Bradley and Brady, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Kate Piercy, and I am the Director of Government Reform for the Illinois Policy Institute. We...

Good Ideas from Other States: #1 Reduce Spending

By Chris Andriesen
11/30/2010
by Wesley Fox Over the last two years, many states have faced large budget shortfalls due to declines in revenue and continued spending at unaffordable rates. Some have dramatically cutback spending to balance their budgets, while others have raised taxes. The CATO Institute’s Fiscal Policy Report Card provides an excellent assessment of the responses of U.S. governors...

Amazon Tax Could Put a Damper on Holiday Shopping

By Chris Andriesen
11/23/2010
by Ashley Muchow The holidays are just around the corner–the smell of turkey and apple pie are in the air. As you begin documenting the expansive list of gifts to get grandma, aunt Carol, or your beloved grandson, consider this: Illinois legislators are considering a bill that would make shopping online for these loved ones...

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...

NYC Loses Its Schools Chief

By Chris Andriesen
11/11/2010
by Collin Hitt The head of New York City’s schools is leaving after eight largely successful years. Replacing Joel Klein as Chacellor – that’s what they call their superintendent in NYC – will be publishing exec Cathie Black.  During Klein’s tenure, the percentage of poor fourth graders scoring as proficient in reading on the Nation’s Report Card...

Unions’ Preferred Rating for Teachers: NR

By Chris Andriesen
11/10/2010
by Dan Proft Amid the contentious debate as to how we improve public education in America, there is one reality to which all parties subscribe: there is no substitute for a quality teacher in the classroom. The scholarship on teacher quality is clear. It is the most important school-related factor in student achievement. Some studies...

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...

WSJ Highlights Need for Health Care Transparency

10/26/2010
Today’s Wall Street Journal carried a special report on how Medicare claims data can be used to root out suspected waste, fraud and abuse (like the NYC family-medicine physician who was flagged for pocketing more than $2 million in 2008 from Medicare thanks in part to administering an odd battery of tests). Earlier this year, we testified in favor of creating...