What to expect when cash bail ends in Illinois
What to expect when cash bail ends in Illinois
The Illinois Supreme Court ruled ending cash bail is constitutional. What does that mean for Illinois? It means ready or not, the system changes Sept. 18.
Pritzker’s budget games
Pritzker’s budget games
The Policy Shop: The crime plan Chicago needs
The Policy Shop: The crime plan Chicago needs
This edition of The Policy Shop comes to you from Paul Vallas, policy adviser for the Illinois Policy Institute. Chicago can’t afford to wait before working to reduce crime – the city needs a plan. Unfortunately, no concrete details have emerged on how the new administration plans to address public safety, the No. 1 issue...
Poll: 70% of Illinois voters support ending grocery tax permanently
Poll: 70% of Illinois voters support ending grocery tax permanently
Repealing the state grocery tax has support from 7 in 10 Illinois voters, according to an Illinois Policy Institute poll. Illinois is one of just 13 states with a grocery tax.
Illinois Federation of Teachers spends little on representing teachers, members flee
Illinois Federation of Teachers spends little on representing teachers, members flee
Just 26% of IFT’s spending in 2022 was on representing teachers. IFT’s questionable spending could be why nearly 16,500 Illinois public school employees have chosen to distance themselves from the union.
NEA, IEA spend little on representing teachers, but prioritize politics
NEA, IEA spend little on representing teachers, but prioritize politics
Less than 8% of NEA and IEA’s spending in 2022 was on representing teachers, according to the unions’ federal reports. That could be why nearly 203,000 public school employees – including more than 6,000 in Illinois – have left NEA since 2017.
Poll: Illinois voters 3-1 in support of scholarships for low-income students
Poll: Illinois voters 3-1 in support of scholarships for low-income students
Illinois voters polled were 3 to 1 in support of the state’s only school choice program, Invest in Kids. But unless lawmakers act, the program ends this year.
Poll: Illinois’ automatic gasoline tax hikes opposed by 70%
Poll: Illinois’ automatic gasoline tax hikes opposed by 70%
More than 70% of Illinois voters polled are against automatic annual gas tax increases. Illinoisans faced two automatic hikes in 2023.
Report: Illinois, Chicago public pension crises worst in U.S.
Report: Illinois, Chicago public pension crises worst in U.S.
Illinois state and local pension debt now tallies $218 billion with both debt to GDP and funding ratios the worst in the nation, according to a new Equable Institute report.
The Policy Shop: The mismatch between Illinois voter demands and lawmaker behavior
The Policy Shop: The mismatch between Illinois voter demands and lawmaker behavior
This edition of The Policy Shop comes to you from Executive Vice President Amy Korte. It’s been several months since headlines featured troubling stories about bank failures at the likes of SVB. It spooked a lot of us, because big shocks raise the odds of a recession. The most recent data’s indication of easing inflation...
Illinois Supreme Court: Criminal cash bail goes away Sept. 18
Illinois Supreme Court: Criminal cash bail goes away Sept. 18
Illinois will become the first state to eliminate cash bail. The Illinois Supreme Court on July 18 upheld the Pretrial Fairness Act, ruling it doesn’t violate the Illinois Constitution.
Gail Clark
Gail Clark
“If Invest in Kids sunsets, we would probably move out of state. The scholarship is the only thing that has kept us here for the last six years.”
Vallas: A real strategy for containing out-of-control violence in Chicago
Vallas: A real strategy for containing out-of-control violence in Chicago
Chicago can’t afford to wait on immediate crime reduction efforts – the city needs a plan. Unfortunately, no concrete details have emerged on how the new administration plans to address public safety, the No. 1 issue on Chicagoans’ minds. Here are nine steps Chicago officials could take to begin curbing crime today.
Vallas: Here’s where Chicago Board of Education should put its focus
Vallas: Here’s where Chicago Board of Education should put its focus
Mayoral appointments to the city’s school board tell the public a lot about that mayor’s philosophy. That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to who Mayor Brandon Johnson is appointing. It’s also important to understand what options should be on the table when it comes to fixing the failing Chicago Public Schools system.