United States Senate

Illinois pension debt to double as new Moody’s methodology kicks in

06/17/2013
It’s taken as fact that Illinois’ five state-run pension systems have a $100 billion funding shortfall. That’s what the official reports say. But all that’s about to change. Moody’s Investors Service is making good on its promise to evaluate state pension plans on more realistic assumptions. The rating agency has long critiqued the pension funds’...

TAGS: credit rating, pensions

The path forward on pension reform: A fair solution for all stakeholders

By Chris Andriesen
06/16/2013
State Reps. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) and Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) have proposed House Bill 3303, which is based the Institute’s pension reform plan. State Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) introduced a floor amendment to Senate Bill 2026, which is identical to House Bill 3303. The problem Illinois has the nation’s worst-funded pension systems. The unfunded liability currently stands at more...

Illinois’ supersized pension problem

By Ted Dabrowski
06/13/2013
Illinois’ pension problem dwarfs the retirement problems in all other states. Officially, the underfunding of the five state-run pension systems total $100 billion. But when more realistic assumptions are used, the shortfall exceeds $200 billion. Without real pension reform, every Illinois household is on the hook for more than $40,000 in additional taxes just to cover...

Illinois lawmakers scale back progress in ‘management bill’

06/12/2013
by Paul Kersey Last year the Illinois General Assembly decided that up to 3,580 supervisors in state government would not be subject to unionization. Passing this legislation, dubbed the “management bill,” meant that Illinois would restore a well-established principle of labor law – that supervisors need to be strictly accountable to policymakers and the people...

Capitol Updates: May 31

By Jane McEnaney
05/31/2013
Health care  On Memorial Day, the Illinois General Assembly passed Senate Bill 26, which drastically expands the state’s Medicaid program and is one of the key provisions of implementing ObamaCare. During yesterday’s Senate floor debate, state Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, presented the bill that appropriates the funds for fiscal year 2014’s human services budget. Steans admitted that the...

Moody’s warns Illinois credit rating could fall without pension reform

05/31/2013
In what’s become a habit for Moody’s Investors Service, the credit rating agency warned today that Illinois faces more credit downgrades if it fails once again to reform its state-run pension systems. The state already has the lowest credit rating in the nation. This means Illinois pays more to borrow money than any other state. But what’s...

ObamaCare: if it’s not good enough for Congress, it’s not good enough for Illinois

05/30/2013
by Diane Cohen Under a 2010 amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, authored by U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, congressional leaders and their staffers are required to purchase health insurance from an ObamaCare exchange. Turns out Congress is having second thoughts. With the individual mandate set to take effect on...

Clock is ticking in Springfield

By Matt Paprocki
05/28/2013
There are four days of legislative session remaining, during which time state lawmakers will debate many important issues that affect taxpayers in the state of Illinois. Here is what you need to know going into the last week of session. No budget … yet At this point in session, a state budget proposal is usually...

Illinois speed limit hike goes to Gov. Quinn

05/22/2013
by Brian Costin The Illinois House voted by an 85-30 margin to raise the state’s speed limits today. Previously, the bill was approved in the Senate by a 41-6 margin. If Gov. Pat Quinn signs this legislation, the speed limit on tollways and interstates would be raised to 70 mph, up from 65 mph. The maximum speed limit...

Dick Durbin’s double standard on IRS targeting conservative organizations

05/19/2013
by Brian Costin The story of the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservative-leaning organizations for special scrutiny in nonprofit status is one of the biggest scandals to hit Washington, D.C., in my lifetime. Even U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin – an Illinois Democrat – has weighed in with outrage about the IRS scandal. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:...
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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