Springfield

Hoosier playbook: How Indiana lures Illinoisans with opportunity

By Michael Lucci
06/23/2014
Illinoisans cross the border to become Hoosiers at a stunning rate. Illinois had a net loss of 4,100 people and $76 million of annual income to Indiana in 2010 alone, the most recent year of Internal Revenue Service data. That’s because for every three people who left Indiana for Illinois, four left Illinois for Indiana. Illinois’ losses to Indiana are...

Chicago a ‘dystopian nightmare’ for entrepreneurs

By Michael Lucci
05/26/2014
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce ranked the regulatory environment in 10 major U.S. cities, and the results aren’t pretty for Chicago. One writer described starting a professional services business in Chicago as a “dystopian nightmare.” Professional and business services make up 780,000 payroll jobs in the Chicago metropolitan area, a major part of current employment...

ObamaCare in Illinois: Just say no to a state exchange

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
04/22/2014
Some bad ideas just won’t stay dead. Despite reasonable opposition from both sides of the aisle in Springfield, some political activists are continuing to push the idea of a state-based health insurance exchange. Illinois has a state-federal partnership exchange currently. At a time when the state’s health-care bureaucracy was caught paying Medicaid benefits on behalf of dead...

Illinois politicians weaken local control

By Paul Kersey
04/08/2014
About three weeks ago, we sounded a warning about House Bill 5485, which would allow arbitrators to set minimum staffing levels in fire departments throughout Illinois.  Since then, news outlets throughout Illinois have been taking note of this bill, pointing out to readers that it would take Illinois in the wrong direction by making unions...

Quinn, Democrats roll out more tax-and-spend legislative initiatives

By Jane McEnaney
03/29/2014
Just hours after the 2014 gubernatorial primary results were made final, Gov. Pat Quinn and his allies launched a series of class warfare attack ads, which were aimed at playing politics rather than implementing good policy. His administration took no time following suit, unleashing a series of legislative initiatives that, if enacted, would have a...

Why the State Journal-Register is wrong about city pensions

03/06/2014
The State Journal Register’s recent editorial critiquing the Illinois Policy Institute’s study, The crisis hits home: Illinois’ local pension problem, was disappointing on many fronts. The city of Springfield performed dismally in the Institute’s statewide audit, which measured ten different metrics to arrive at a comprehensive picture of a city’s fiscal health. Springfield scored worst among the state’s...

U.S. falls from top 10 on Index of Economic Freedom

By Michael Lucci
01/20/2014
What’s making it harder for Illinois parents to save for a child’s college education, and for working moms to take that next step in their careers? What’s driven a record 91.8 million Americans to give up and no longer look for work? Reduced economic freedom. Economic freedom has powerful effects. It not only drives job...

Government affairs gearing up for 2014

By Matt Paprocki
12/31/2013
With 2014 just around the corner, the Illinois Policy Institute’s government affairs department has much to look forward to, including a new legislative arm, an aggressive legislative agenda and even more talented staff. The Institute announces its launch of Illinois Policy Action. In December, Illinois Policy Institute CEO John Tillman released the following statement: “Illinois Policy Action...

How ObamaCare will affect premiums for Springfield residents

By Jonathan Ingram
09/30/2013
Oct. 1 marks the first day of ObamaCare’s open enrollment period. Despite the fact that consumers are expected to start buying plans tomorrow, the state and federal government have been tight-lipped about what will be available on the ObamaCare health insurance exchange. The federal government has begun trickling out bits and pieces about the plans, but...

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act, health insurance

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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