Budget Solutions 2018: Balancing the state budget without tax hikes

By Ted Dabrowski, Craig Lesner, John Klingner, Michael Lucci

01/31/2017

A set of structural reforms that protect taxpayers and put Illinois on the path to prosperity.

Madigan’s rules: How Illinois gives its House speaker power to manipulate and control the legislative process

By Joe Tabor, Ted Dabrowski

01/04/2017

The little-known legislative rules that govern the legislative process in the Illinois House of Representatives give the House speaker extraordinary power to orchestrate the legislative or political outcomes he or she wants. Those rules allow the speaker to influence the makeup of legislative committees; how lawmakers vote; and when, if ever, the bills get voted...

State of Illinois’ pension debt jumps to $130 billion

By John Klingner

11/15/2016

Illinois households are now on the hook for $27,000, up 17 percent from 2015.

TAGS: budget, GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, JRS: Judges’ Retirement System, pensions, SERS: State Employee Retirement System, SURS: State Universities Retirement System, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

Illinois remains most expensive state in Midwest for workers’ compensation

By Michael Lucci

11/10/2016

The regulatory cost of doing business in Illinois remains the highest in the Midwest for workers’ compensation, according to the 2016 Oregon Workers’ Compensation Premium Rate Ranking study.[1] Illinois’ out-of-balance workers’ compensation laws contribute to the Land of Lincoln’s loss of industrial investment and blue-collar job opportunities. Illinois manufacturing firms often cite workers’ compensation as...

Damage from Edgar ramp obscured by dotcom boom

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

10/25/2016

Former Gov. Jim Edgar’s pension compromise with House Speaker Mike Madigan in the 1990s set the state’s pension funds down an unsustainable road.

TAGS: Edgar Ramp, Jim Edgar, pensions

An Illinois workers’ compensation system for the 21st century

By Mark Adams

07/15/2016

The state of Illinois has one of the oldest workers’ compensation systems in America, dating to 1911.

What’s driving Illinois’ $111 billion pension crisis

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

04/07/2016

Retirement ages, COLAs and out-of-sync pension payouts

Illinois Supreme Court ruling could give state workers more retirement options

By Ted Dabrowski

04/06/2016

Concept of “consideration” allows state workers to negotiate for new benefits and could pave a path toward pension reform.

TAGS: Chicago, Illinois Supreme Court, pensions

Pensions 101: Understanding Illinois’ massive, government-worker pension crisis

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

02/03/2016

The crisis threatens to burden taxpayers with massive, ever-escalating taxes to bail out a system that is not sustainable – government-worker pensions consume a fourth of the state’s budget.

To fix education funding, Cullerton should focus on reforming pensions

By Ted Dabrowski

01/26/2016

From 2009 to 2014, the state added $8.9 billion in new tax dollars to the education budget, over and above the base amount of $6.8 billion it spent in 2009. Of those new dollars spent, 89 percent went to retirement costs and just 11 percent made it to classrooms.

TAGS: John Cullerton

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Budget Solutions 2018: Balancing the state budget without tax hikes

Madigan’s rules: How Illinois gives its House speaker power to manipulate and control the legislative process

State of Illinois’ pension debt jumps to $130 billion

Illinois remains most expensive state in Midwest for workers’ compensation

Damage from Edgar ramp obscured by dotcom boom

An Illinois workers’ compensation system for the 21st century

What’s driving Illinois’ $111 billion pension crisis

Illinois Supreme Court ruling could give state workers more retirement options

Pensions 101: Understanding Illinois’ massive, government-worker pension crisis

To fix education funding, Cullerton should focus on reforming pensions

FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students