Illinois needs a combination of constitutional and statutory changes to put and keep the state on sound fiscal footing and allow it to pay its providers and better prepare for emergencies.
Monthly reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security allow the public to see Illinois’ record for job creation and unemployment. Understanding the components of the reports, what they measure, and the significance of the data are key to assessing the state’s economic health.
The Illinois attorney general – House Speaker Mike Madigan’s daughter – could play a major role in whether state lawmakers will pass a budget Illinoisans can afford.
“I’ve been a boilermaker for 40 years. I was 20 years old when I started and I’ve raised eight kids on this job. It feels like back then you could just walk down the street and get a job in manufacturing … “I was born and raised in Chicago but I left for Indiana 12...
Illinois gained 14,700 jobs on net in March, according to a preliminary jobs report released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security, or IDES. March’s numbers mark three consecutive months of jobs growth in a state that had grown all too accustomed to job losses. More and more Illinoisans are looking for work – and...
Illinois' 859 local school districts consume nearly two-thirds of the $27 billion in local property taxes collected across the state each year.
An effective record-sealing policy can help nonviolent offenders find employment and stay away from crime.
Illinois’ March layoff report shows that almost a quarter of the 900 Illinoisans who will lose their jobs are manufacturing workers.
By investing in community-based programs that treat nonviolent offenders’ drug and mental health problems, Illinois can avoid more costly expenditures on incarceration.
The Illinois House has passed a bill to prohibit charging late fees to vehicle owners who renew their registration late due to the secretary of state’s suspension of mailed reminders.
When they let me out of prison, I held my head up high. Determined I would rise above the shame. But no matter where I’m living, the black mark follows me. I’m branded with a number on my name. —Merle Haggard
A new report from the Heritage Foundation shows that in 2014 alone, collective bargaining between Illinois’ government-worker unions and Illinois officials inflated state and local government spending by $4 billion to $9 billion.