In March, Illinois state senators voted to freeze their salaries and forfeit twelve days of pay. The bill is awaiting concurrence in the House. According to the NCSL, Illinois state legislators will earn a base salary of $67,836 in 2012, along with a $111 per diem for each session day. Members of the Illinois legislature are among the highest-paid in...
What did your state senator earn in 2011?
The 5th ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index was just released, ranking states on past economic performance and future economic outlook. Illinois is ranked 48 out of the 50 states in both measures.
Commentary from John Tillman, CEO of the Illinois Policy Institute.
Peoria, Ill. (April 11, 2012) – Ten out of eleven government agencies in the Peoria-area received failing grades in an online transparency audit conducted by local citizen activists and the Illinois Policy Institute. Members of the Peoria 9/12 group worked with the Institute to grade local government websites on how much public data is readily...
The problem Illinois state government owes more than $83 billion to the pension plans it operates for retired employees; servicing this obligation is crippling the state’s budget. But pension debt is only part of the story. Much less publicized are the additional obligations the state has taken on to provide health insurance for pensioners, the...
Illinois state government owes more than $83 billion to the pension plans it operates for retired employees; servicing this obligation is crippling the state
A story in the Pekin Daily Times reports that farm-market shoppers in Illinois will have more choices this year, thanks to a law Governor Quinn signed last August, the Local Food Entrepreneur and Cottage Food Operation Act. But the law might not be as beneficial as the its backers suggest — and Illinois and other governments can and should do...
With a score of 96.5 percent, the Hanover Township is the first township-level government entity in the state to earn an “A” grade in the Illinois Policy Institute’s Local Transparency Project. The Local Transparency Project grades governments on the availability to the public of vital community information, such as public meeting schedules, government employee salaries and...
As I wrap up my tenure as a Milton Friedman intern for the Illinois Policy Institute, I will take with me many great experiences. More importantly, I learned many skills that have without a doubt, prepared me for a career advocating for economic freedom in Illinois and the United States. All that will prove crucial...
On March 19, the Regional Economics Applications Laboratory (REAL) at the University of Illinois released an assessment of the economic impacts on local economies of proposed closures of four correctional and adult transition centers – Tamms, Dwight, Westside, and Peoria. The study, Impact of the Closure of Selected Department of Corrections Facilities, calculates the direct, indirect...
As Illinois motorists shell out more and more for the rising cost of gas, many people want to know: what am I paying for? In Illinois, especially in Chicago and Cook County, drivers may be surprised to find out that they’re paying significantly more in taxes on gas than drivers do in other states. At...
by Michael Wille Yesterday, Gov. Scott Walker signed the “Read to Lead” legislation into law aimed at improving education for Wisconsin students. Starting in Kindergarten, children will now be tested on literacy to set a benchmark of their skills and better understand what interventions are required to ensure reading capabilities are strengthened by third grade. In addition...
To advance its political agenda of imposing a progressive income tax on hard-working Illinoisans, the CTBA is misrepresenting Adam Smith in an attempt at legitimacy.