Illinois bill backlog expected to hit $14 billion
Illinois bill backlog expected to hit $14 billion
Illinois’ unpaid bills could reach new highs by summer 2017.
Illinois death tax hits family farms where it hurts
Illinois death tax hits family farms where it hurts
Illinois’ estate tax only generates about $300 million in revenue, while potentially costing the state more than $1.5 billion in annual GDP growth.
Number of six-figure Chicago pensioners has tripled in last 4 years
Number of six-figure Chicago pensioners has tripled in last 4 years
More government workers are taking home massive yearly pension payments as Chicagoans are battered by tax hikes.
Chicago Police Department cannot avoid requests for private emails under Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act
Chicago Police Department cannot avoid requests for private emails under Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act
According to a ruling from Illinois’ attorney general, government employees cannot conceal work-related communication on private email, despite the Chicago Police Department’s arguments for it.
Rauner signs bill to discourage incarceration for low-level offenders with no prior violent convictions
Rauner signs bill to discourage incarceration for low-level offenders with no prior violent convictions
Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed into law Senate Bill 3164, which requires a court to review a presentencing report and explain why incarceration is appropriate prior to imposing a prison sentence on a Class 3 or Class 4 felony offender with no prior violent convictions.
The Illinois Insider’s Club
The Illinois Insider’s Club
Rauner signs juvenile justice reforms into law
Rauner signs juvenile justice reforms into law
The governor signed two bills designed to improve outcomes for Illinois youth who become involved with the criminal justice system.
Taxpayers forced to pay $421 million more for teacher pensions
Taxpayers forced to pay $421 million more for teacher pensions
The Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System’s actuarial changes will drive up taxpayer contributions by $421 million in 2017. These latest changes prove Illinois’ pension math doesn’t work.
Understanding the stalled contract negotiations between the state and AFSCME
Understanding the stalled contract negotiations between the state and AFSCME
An administrative law judge could issue a decision as early as Sept. 1 on whether Illinois state workers and the governor are at an impasse in contract negotiations. Here’s a rundown of the proceedings between Illinois’ largest government-worker union and the state, as well as their potential impact on residents and state employees.
David Johnston
David Johnston
“It’s so frustrating. We’re out here making money for the city but they make it really difficult. We’re a small business, man. Food truck people are people too. We’re not monsters. “When you’re dealing with thousands of restaurants and only a handful of food trucks, it’s tough. And the mindset of all of these rules...
Hubert Powell
Hubert Powell
“I’ve had this truck for four years. But we get tickets every week. And that’s not a good feeling but we need to fight the fight. We have a lot of unemployed people in Chicago who need to make something of themselves in this business. “We fight because I get repeat customers every day and...
CPS’ 2017 budget: More taxes, more borrowing, no accountability
CPS’ 2017 budget: More taxes, more borrowing, no accountability
Chicago Public Schools officials had an opportunity to enact serious reforms addressing the district’s dire financial condition, but they instead opted to further burden Chicago taxpayers without offering any change.
Rauner signs bill to allow McHenry, Lake counties to consolidate units of local government
Rauner signs bill to allow McHenry, Lake counties to consolidate units of local government
A new law signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner on Aug. 5 gives McHenry and Lake counties the authority to consolidate and dissolve units of local government within their boundaries, a power granted to DuPage County in 2013.
Illinois taxpayers on the hook for pension failures
Illinois taxpayers on the hook for pension failures
More realistic investment return assumptions by the Teachers’ Retirement System mean Illinois taxpayer contributions to the fund could rise by hundreds of millions of dollars. Ending teacher pension pickups would alleviate the burden on Illinois taxpayers.