Illinois mandates off-year municipal elections, but they result in lower voter turnout that gives powerful special interest groups more influence and diminishes local voters’ concerns.
Illinois stands as one of the states with the most to gain – and lose – as the national economy continues to surpass job growth expectations.
Illinois’ employment recovery continued in July, but the state is still missing nearly 1 in 9 jobs lost during the pandemic.
Smaller student population and worsening test scores continue despite more funding.
“Sometimes I think about how many more customers we’d have if the city wasn’t so overbearing about tickets and taxes.”
Illinois citizens can now permanently register to vote by mail, allowing residents to cast their ballots from the comfort of their own home. Here are the facts about mail-in voting.
“It’s tough because many businesses closed and those that survived are having a slower recovery. There are a lot of people, including myself, who haven't been able to fully reopen because we’re short-staffed. The cost of labor has increased so much, it’s hard to compete.”
Only $134 of each Chicago Teachers Union member’s dues is actually spent on representing Chicago Public Schools teachers. The rest is spent on other CTU leadership priorities and on the union hierarchy.
Illinois is home to one of the worst pension crises in the country.1 At 39% funded, according to the nonpartisan Pew Charitable Trusts, Illinois has the worst pension funding ratio of any state.2 By contrast, neighboring Wisconsin’s pension system is 103% funded.3 In fiscal year 2022, Illinois’ total general funds pension costs, including pension bond...
The government unions pushing Amendment 1 on the Nov. 8 ballot in Illinois halted a popular, bipartisan bill that would have helped ease the nursing shortage made worse by the pandemic.
Illinois unions members give hundreds of dollars a year to union dues. But most of that money is spent on politics – not representing workers’ interests or protecting them. Mailee Smith follows the money. She joins the Policy Shop to show where government union money goes and why Amendment 1 would harm all Illinoisans. This...
Over-promised benefits continue to sink Chicago’s finances as the recent bear market eats into 2021 stock market gains. Investments gaining 25% last year plus federal aid didn’t offer much help to city pension systems, which have more debt than 45 states.