Illinois spent 11% faster than Naperville incomes grew during the past decade. A bipartisan ‘spending cap’ bill would allow predictable, sustainable growth in state spending without tax hikes.
Mike Madigan again controlled the choice of his replacement as state representative after his first pick resigned over ‘questionable conduct.’ This pick is a community activist who manages COVID-19 contact tracing.
“You know how infuriating it was to have an issue as large as this pandemic and have no one see you? You feel invisible.”
"I just don’t want to pay for these public schools anymore because I feel like they have completely let everybody down. I'm done."
“People are voting with their feet, leaving Illinois every day and high property taxes are a big part of it."
Just more than three months after voters soundly rejected a progressive state income tax, new Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch is trying to revive the idea as a fix for state pensions. There is a better solution than the failed ‘fair tax’ scheme.
Unemployment claims bumped up for a second week in Illinois as Gov. J.B. Pritzker decided to push for 9 new taxes, mostly hitting businesses and job creation. Illinois ranked 49th for recovery last week.
An impending health care worker shortage argues for a bill that would allow Illinois to join a multi-state nursing license compact. Nurses could see improved job options.
The budget proposal includes no reforms to pensions or other cost drivers, misleadingly labels various business tax increases as ‘closing corporate tax loopholes,’ and relies on gimmicks that conceal true deficits. And there’s a new gas tax.
Two days after he picked his replacement as state representative, Mike Madigan asked that replacement to resign over ‘questionable conduct.’ Edward Guerra Kodatt then quit after serving two days, entitling him to $5,789 in salary.
“First of all, they shouldn’t tell you it’s mandatory. It’s misleading if you’re a non-union member.”
Because of delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Census Bureau will not have the data for states’ political redistricting until the end of September. Illinois faces problems likely to land any political maps in court.
Illinois state lawmakers recently approved a rule requiring Illinois teacher training programs to adopt ‘culturally responsive teaching and leading’ standards. Critics say a political litmus test is the wrong focus when students are underachieving on the basics.