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.
Switching to an electronic system from a paper-based licensing program is expected to save taxpayers millions of dollars over the next few years – as well as provide better and faster service for the state’s licensed professionals.
By allowing offenders to submit applications for barbering licenses within six months before release from prison, Illinois will reduce wait times for licensing – and reduce the likelihood those ex-offenders will return to crime. But more reforms are needed.
Illinoisans must work from Jan. 1 until April 29 to pay the taxes they owe to federal, state and local governments.
Local government transparency, local government consolidation and criminal justice reform gain traction despite politicized legislature.
In the midst of the state’s budget, pension and out-migration crises, an Illinois politician has introduced SB 2143 to ban the sale of bobcat pelts, as well as the trapping of these animals.