While the state waits for the Supreme Court’s SB 1 ruling, Gov. Bruce Rauner and other lawmakers are working up a pitch to amend the state constitution.
Rauner’s initial pension proposal helps him achieve his goal of a balanced budget without tax increases. But it will take a comprehensive, 401(k)-style reform plan to solve the pension crisis once and for all.
Issuing seven new executive orders and rescinding seven others, along with delivering a State of the State address, the new governor has had a busy first month in office.
Among the changes is a new posting requirement that provides only a one-hour notice before a committee hearing, diminishing transparency and accountability.
With a lame-duck session dead in the water, the 2011 income-tax hikes will sunset on schedule; a minimum-wage debate will wait until Rauner takes office; and taxpayers will not be on the hook for a state-funded health insurance exchange.
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...