With the Illinois state legislative session ended, bills will start crossing the governor’s desk, some containing tax hikes, unaffordable spending and needless regulation. Here’s how Gov. J.B. Pritzker can stop these bad policies from becoming law.
Illinois state lawmakers’ spending plan surpasses last year’s budget by $2 billion, requiring taxpayers to pay over $800 million in additional costs for yet another year of record spending.
State leaders rely on budget gimmicks and short-term fixes and they assume speculative proposals will become law and operate exactly as planned just to balance the books, if only on paper. Transparent, laws-on-the-books-based modeling is the only path to long-term stability.
As state lawmakers finalize the 2026 budget, public sector unions are pushing for major benefit spikes for Tier 2 pensioners to be included in last-minute additions.
With the budget facing a potential $1.2 billion deficit, some ideas on the table include taxing deliveries from companies such as Amazon and digital ads.
Springfield lawmakers are close to hiking road tolls, taxing rideshare services as well as real estate sales for everyone in Cook and the collar counties.
State lawmakers have given themselves until May 31 to pass the state’s upcoming budget, here’s what might be included.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker increased Illinois’ state spending more during his first six state budgets than any other state leader in terms of raw dollars since Gov. George Ryan, who took office more than 25 years ago.
Allan Luzbetak has lived in the Lockport, Illinois area for decades; but concerns over rising property taxes could push him out of the state as he enters retirement. He explains his disappointment with community leaders’ approach to spending, and why it tempts so many people in situations like his to leave the state. “I’ve lived...
Since 2017, Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara has cut the property tax rate to 1.93% by cutting costs and spending smarter – a playbook other Illinois cities should copy.
Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino is retiring after a 10-year term of monitoring public spending. The scrutiny his own campaign spending drew should have lawmakers rethink how they choose his replacement.
If Illinois state lawmakers follow the Chicago Teachers Union’s push for a 7.92% base corporate tax rate, it can severely hurt Illinois’ competitiveness. Job creators do not need another reason to abandon Illinois.
Illinois’ university system is losing students to other states as prices per student top the nation. The system and its funding need an overhaul, but state leaders instead are considering letting community colleges create even more competition.
Illinois students are struggling to meet proficiency standards on state assessments. Instead of working to improve student learning, the state wants to lower standards to hide the crisis.