Pat Quinn

Illinois liquor law stifles competition among distributors

By Bryant Jackson-Green
08/09/2013
Running a competitive business can be difficult – unless you have friends in government to help squash competition for you. In late May, Gov. Pat Quinn signed House Bill 2606 into law, which amended Illinois’ Liquor Control Act to prohibit out-of state brewers, distilleries and other alcohol manufacturers from owning any part of an alcohol distributor in...

Credit union offers interest-free loans to Illinois lawmakers during pay freeze

By Hilary Gowins
08/04/2013
Illinois lawmakers stopped getting paid on Thursday. So did Gov. Pat Quinn, who on July 10 used his line-item veto power to halt lawmaker pay until the General Assembly reaches an agreement on pension reform. But a Rantoul-based credit union has come to their aid, offering interest-free loans to state legislators. According to the State Journal-Register,...

Gov. Quinn announces $54.8 million investment in private universities

By Benjamin VanMetre
08/01/2013
Illinois can’t pay its bills. Lawmakers continue to eat away at the Illinois family budget with higher taxes. And the state refuses to stop ballooning pension payments from crowding out core government services. Yet Gov. Pat Quinn announced that Illinois will invest $54.8 million 27 private colleges and universities in the Chicago area. Some of this spending...

For real reform, Illinois should repeal campaign contribution limits

07/30/2013
Illinois’ limits on campaign contributions are anticompetitive and unconstitutional – and the bill Gov. Pat Quinn just signed enacting sweeping changes to the state’s election code only makes the system more arbitrary and unfair. The biggest problem with Illinois’ existing campaign finance law is that it limits how much money a person can give to candidates for state office...

Pat Quinn is fourth-highest paid governor in the country

By Hilary Gowins
07/10/2013
At a time when the state of Illinois has more than $100 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, more than $6 billion in unpaid bills and is coming off of its 13th credit downgrade since 2009, it might shock Illinoisans to hear that Gov. Quinn is one of the highest-paid governors in the country. Gov. Pat Quinn’s salary is $177,412. According...

Quinn’s crystal ball

By Ted Dabrowski
07/02/2013
After several months of saying that pension reform inaction by the Illinois General Assembly costs taxpayers $17 million a day, Gov. Pat Quinn lowered that number to $5 million per day for fiscal year 2014. That’s surprising, since no pension reform bill was passed in the recent legislative session and the unfunded liability is still almost...

AFSCME vs. Illinois Policy Institute: government pension transparency


By Brian Costin
06/24/2013
In a recent Facebook post, a local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, called a government pension transparency initiative by the Illinois Policy Institute “offensive.” From AFSCME Local 427’s Facebook page: Bills Amended to Address AFSCME Concerns
Assault on State Retiree Privacy (HB 1040 – Rep. Tryon/Sen. Althoff) This bill establishes...

Capitol Updates: lawmakers push off pension reform in favor of ‘pension conference committee’ during special session

By Jane McEnaney
06/20/2013
State lawmakers were in Springfield yesterday for a special session ordered by Gov. Pat Quinn. As expected, the General Assembly did not take formal votes on any pension reform legislation. Instead, Quinn called for the formation of a conference committee, with the intention of resolving the differences between the House and Senate on pension reform. As a means of breaking up...

Bill Daley acknowledges depth of union politics

06/19/2013
by Paul Kersey Possible gubernatorial candidate Bill Daley said something interesting at his “pension plan” news conference Monday morning. It just wasn’t really what he wanted to emphasize. Though he summoned the media for the occasion, the former White House Chief of Staff had little to say about why pensions in Illinois are in the...
Load More

Illinois Forward 2027: How to fix Illinois’ state finances

Pro-growth policies and fiscal responsibility can ensure Illinois’ long-term budget health. Here’s how state leaders can do it.

View Report

Report Archive

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