Illinois needs much more in the way of reforms if state politicians are going to truly fix the state’s broken criminal-justice system.
Pension holidays, steep increases in teachers' salaries, and lopsided ratios of teacher contributions to pension payouts have caused the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund’s unfunded liabilities to shoot up to $9 billion in 2015.
Unaffordable salaries and pension benefits on top of a structurally unstable retirement system have pushed CPS to the brink of insolvency despite record tax revenues.
A new study by The Pew Charitable Trusts shows states that adjusted their felony theft laws have not seen an increase in crime. To save on corrections costs, Illinois should update its theft thresholds, too.
Illinois’ growing pension costs – not the state budget gridlock – are taking away funding for essential government services, such as education.
While the mayor is right to say that expanding the downtown development area is a “win-win” for developers and poor communities, expanding downtown without the mayor’s proposed new tax on developers and inflexible size restrictions would be a bigger win for both.
Budget gridlock in Springfield caused the Illinois secretary of state’s office to suspend mailing vehicle-registration-renewal reminders in October 2015.
Illinois remains home to the nation’s worst employment recovery.
“Families are the hidden victims of incarceration. “Statistics show that children of people who are incarcerated have a higher rate of incarceration later in life. It does affect them … “Of course if someone does something truly terrible they should be locked up. But you and I both know if you look at the pie chart of...
Experts analyze policy recommendations designed to make Illinois’ criminal-justice system fairer and more cost-effective.
“The first time I did heroin I was 16 years old … “Your first time you feel invincible, [like] you can do anything, you’re talkative, a little sleepy, best mood you’ve ever had. Instantly I knew this is probably something I’m going to want to do over and over and over again. “My parents, my...