New Year brings new laws as the 100thGeneral Assembly ends. Here are a few wins for Illinois taxpayers.

Joliet City Council members awarded their outgoing city manager a generous severance package after less than a year on the job. The ex-official will also be allowed to seek unemployment, even though some council members said he wanted to leave.

Taxpayers across Illinois oppose a progressive tax but many state lawmakers still refuse to stand up against House Speaker Mike Madigan’s progressive tax push.

Illinoisans already get hosed at the pump, but politicians are looking for new ways to soak drivers.

The Government Severance Pay Act places a cap on – and attaches strings to – golden parachute severance payouts for outgoing government employees.

Southern Illinois University President Randy Dunn will receive a $215,000 severance package before taking a lucrative job at the university’s Edwardsville campus.

Nearly 600 bills are on their way to the governor, some of which would be encouraging changes to the status quo.