Promises and politics: Lawmakers consider whether to make the temporary income tax hike permanent

By Donovan Griffith

05/24/2014

In 2011, Illinois lawmakers passed the largest income tax increase in the state’s history with the promise that the increase would sunset in 2015 and income tax rates would return to their previous rates. In other words, the income tax increase was made to be temporary. Today, on the cusp of the income tax increase...

Tennessee’s constitutional amendment on taxation

By Michael Lucci

05/19/2014

Policymakers in Illinois spent this spring debating whether the state should adopt a progressive tax scheme. At one point, there were as many as seven different tax structures being considered in Illinois. Supporters of the progressive tax fought for an amendment to the Illinois Constitution to allow such a change. Their efforts were rejected, and,...

House budget full of pork

By illinoispolicy

05/15/2014

State politicians are in Springfield right now voting on budget bills that call for spending $3 billion more than the state will take in from income tax revenues. These budget bills are fraught with wasteful spending. Here are some examples: House Bill 6149 would appropriate a total of $1.8 billion from the General Revenue Fund...

Chapa LaVia’s war on school choice

05/01/2014

State Rep. Chapa LaVia’s constituents oppose her efforts to limit school choice. The representative has launched a full-scale assault on school choice this legislative session, sponsoring more than a half dozen bills that would limit the growth of charter schools and put strict limits on digital learning. Two – House Bill 3754 and House Bill...

Term limits initiative submits 590,000 signatures, one step closer to ballot

By Brian Costin

04/30/2014

A ballot measure that would limit state legislators to eight years in office cleared a major hurdle today. In a press conference, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner announced that the group, The Committee for Legislative Reform and Term Limits, is submitting more than 590,000 petition signatures in support of a term limits constitutional initiative. The...

LLC fees hurt low-income entrepreneurs

By Michael Lucci

04/07/2014

The Illinois Senate passed Senate Bill 2776 to lower the cost to create a Limited Liability Company to $39 from $500. This piece of legislation, which rightfully received bipartisan support, will take effect immediately upon receiving Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature. LLC fees are unnecessary and harm low-income entrepreneurs. In fact, LLC fees function like a...

Chapa LaVia’s war on school choice

04/04/2014

Should this Twitter ad be illegal? State Rep. Chapa LaVia, a Democrat from Aurora and head of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, thinks so. She’s the chief sponsor of a bill that would prohibit “any and all marketing and advertising to the public for charter school enrollment and recruitment made by a charter...

Youth unemployment: Lack of opportunity in Illinois

By Michael Lucci

03/24/2014

Illinois is in a jobs crisis, now claiming the second-highest jobless rate nationally and the highest jobless rate in the Midwest. Gov. Pat Quinn and his allies are now on the move to make the problem worse for young people and minorities. Quinn should have learned from his own dismal record. Since Quinn took office,...

TAGS: minimum wage

Illinois legislators try to repeal the First Amendment

03/22/2014

Incumbent politicians hate to be criticized, and in Illinois some of them have decided to do something about it – not by correcting the behavior for which people criticize them, but by trying to repeal the First Amendment. That may sound outrageous, but it’s true. On Thursday, the Illinois Senate’s Executive Committee passed a resolution...

Illinois Policy Action’s legislative agenda focuses on education, pensions, health care and more

By Jane McEnaney

02/15/2014

Yesterday marked Illinois lawmakers’ deadline to introduce bills for this spring’s legislative session. Our government affairs team was down in Springfield, finalizing Illinois Policy Action’s 2014 legislative agenda. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the major legislative initiatives we’ll be pushing this session: Pension reform State Rep. Ron Sandack has introduced a bill that...

United States Senate

Promises and politics: Lawmakers consider whether to make the temporary income tax hike permanent

Tennessee’s constitutional amendment on taxation

House budget full of pork

Chapa LaVia’s war on school choice

Term limits initiative submits 590,000 signatures, one step closer to ballot

LLC fees hurt low-income entrepreneurs

Chapa LaVia’s war on school choice

Youth unemployment: Lack of opportunity in Illinois

Illinois legislators try to repeal the First Amendment

Illinois Policy Action’s legislative agenda focuses on education, pensions, health care and more

Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

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