This edition of The Policy Shop is by Director of Fiscal and Economic Research Bryce Hill. Illinois ended 2023 with some bad news: There are fewer of us. Again. Multiple that “again” by 10. For 10 years in a row, Illinois’ population gains could not keep up with the rate of people packing up and...
People choosing to move out of state again drove Illinois’ population to decline from July 2022-July 2023. Another one left every 6 minutes and 16 seconds.
A recent study found less than one-third of Chicago Public Schools graduates earn their bachelor’s in four years. Yet back in 2018, the Chicago Teachers Union tried to kill legislation giving students a head start on college.
Research shows income and adult literacy are strongly related. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics show 20% of Illinois adults are “functionally illiterate.” Cook County’s rate is 25%.
Illinois’ New Year’s resolution starts with banning vaping indoors, and $100 fines for anyone who violates the law.
Personal care services such as cutting hair can be one of the more welcoming professions for those stuck in poverty. But Illinois imposes a heavy burden before they can get to work.
The Chicago Teachers Union and its president – Stacy Davis Gates – have offered lots of controversy this year. Their lack of accountability and politicking have consequences: residents suffer, students can’t read or do math at grade level.
Illinois has seen continual population loss for a decade. While taxes and lack of opportunities are driving people away, the state’s licensing requirements could be keeping people from moving in.
Illinois’ burdensome licensing for security alarm installers discourage potential workers, potentially making Illinois an easier target for burglars such as the Grinch or the Wet Bandits from “Home Alone.”
Nearly two-thirds of Illinois’ metro areas added jobs in November, led primarily by the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro adding 10,300 jobs since October. Four metros still have yet to reach pre-pandemic levels.
The former mayor of Harvey, Illinois, has been accused of allowing a local strip club to covertly provide illegal prostitution services in return for monthly bribes to the city leader and family members.
Chicago’s longest-serving alderman, the “ComEd Four” and a collection of public servants in some of the highest-profile corruption cases in decades.