Repealing the state grocery tax has support from 7 in 10 Illinois voters, according to an Illinois Policy Institute poll. Illinois is one of just 13 states with a grocery tax.
Just 26% of IFT’s spending in 2022 was on representing teachers. IFT’s questionable spending could be why nearly 16,500 Illinois public school employees have chosen to distance themselves from the union.
Less than 8% of NEA and IEA’s spending in 2022 was on representing teachers, according to the unions’ federal reports. That could be why nearly 203,000 public school employees – including more than 6,000 in Illinois – have left NEA since 2017.
Illinois voters polled were 3 to 1 in support of the state’s only school choice program, Invest in Kids. But unless lawmakers act, the program ends this year.
More than 70% of Illinois voters polled are against automatic annual gas tax increases. Illinoisans faced two automatic hikes in 2023.
Illinois state and local pension debt now tallies $218 billion with both debt to GDP and funding ratios the worst in the nation, according to a new Equable Institute report.
This edition of The Policy Shop comes to you from Executive Vice President Amy Korte. It’s been several months since headlines featured troubling stories about bank failures at the likes of SVB. It spooked a lot of us, because big shocks raise the odds of a recession. The most recent data’s indication of easing inflation...
Illinois will become the first state to eliminate cash bail. The Illinois Supreme Court on July 18 upheld the Pretrial Fairness Act, ruling it doesn’t violate the Illinois Constitution.
“If Invest in Kids sunsets, we would probably move out of state. The scholarship is the only thing that has kept us here for the last six years.”
Chicago can’t afford to wait on immediate crime reduction efforts – the city needs a plan. Unfortunately, no concrete details have emerged on how the new administration plans to address public safety, the No. 1 issue on Chicagoans’ minds. Here are nine steps Chicago officials could take to begin curbing crime today.
Mayoral appointments to the city’s school board tell the public a lot about that mayor’s philosophy. That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to who Mayor Brandon Johnson is appointing. It’s also important to understand what options should be on the table when it comes to fixing the failing Chicago Public Schools system.
Illinois is on pace for four new casinos in 2023, but the state’s tax payout from video gambling in local bars and restaurants remains a much bigger win.