Get the latest news headlines from around Illinois.
Sun-Times: Madigan millionaire tax fails once again
In a déjà vu moment, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s constitutional amendment to impose an extra tax on millionaires to fund schools once again failed to garner enough votes in the Illinois House on Wednesday.
The roll call came to 68-47 — an identical vote to May 21, 2015, when Madigan first tried to pass the amendment — which Illinois voters supported overwhelmingly in an advisory vote in 2014.
AP: Illinois House panel looks at daily fantasy sports betting
A measure is scheduled to have its first vote in a House committee Wednesday would forbid company employees and anyone under age 21 from participating in the games.
The Illinois Gaming Board would oversee the contests and operators who violate the law would face fines. Operators also would be required to pay licensing fees based on their revenue.
Forbes: Illinois Might Adopt One Of The Highest Income Taxes In The Nation
Tax day may be behind us, but Illinois residents could be working longer to pay their state taxes in future years under legislation unveiled by House Deputy Majority Leader Lou Lang (D)—a proposal that would see the top rate soar from 3.75 to 9.75%. Were the tax increase adopted, Illinois would fall from 23rd to 48th on the Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index, above only New York and California.
Since the partial expiration of the state’s temporary tax increase under which the individual income tax briefly stood at 5.0%, many in the legislature have clamored for a tax increase, and particularly for the introduction of a graduated rate tax in the Prairie State. Intended to facilitate the payment of the state’s accumulated unpaid bills, the temporary tax increase partially sunset in 2015, with the rate dropping to 3.75%, still modestly higher than the pre-tax hike flat rate of 3.0%. However, the state still has over $7.5 billion in unpaid bills, and Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) and legislative Democrats continue to fight over adoption of a state budget, with Democrats seeking additional revenues and Rauner insisting on a range of structural reforms as a prerequisite to considering any tax changes.
Under pending legislation backed by top Democrats in the state, Illinois could replace its current 3.75% individual income tax with a four-rate system topping out at 9.75%. House Bill 689, sponsored by Representative Lang, would give Illinois the fourth highest top marginal income tax rate in the country, after California, Oregon, and Minnesota. Because the proposed rate schedule does not double bracket width for joint filers, the bill would also introduce a marriage penalty, meaning that married couples could pay more than they would as single filers.
Sauk Valley: Illinois manufacturing hampered by government
When Marty Flaska moved his forklift-manufacturing business to Illinois 18 years ago, he didn’t think to look at the cost of operating in other states. In 2014, out of curiosity, his son ran the numbers.
“I didn’t believe him,” said the elder Flaska. His son told him that a short drive east would save the business $2 million a year.
Thus began the journey of Hoist Liftruck to greener pastures in Indiana; a move that resulted from policy mistakes that have made the Land of Lincoln a laggard state when it comes to forging well-paying manufacturing jobs.
Chicago Tribune: University of Illinois planning staff layoffs due to state budget stalemate
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is preparing for layoffs in the fall if lawmakers haven’t solved the state’s budget impasse by then.
An email sent to the university’s deans, directors and department heads lays out a coordinated plan for laying off civil service employees. Managers must report the positions they intend to eliminate by May 16.
The plan is a sign of how the state budget impasse is affecting even Illinois’ most prominent public university, which has weathered the crisis better than other public schools.
The Southern: IDOC director: Time to rethink how the state deals with drug offenders
Illinois Department of Corrections Acting Director John Baldwin said on Thursday that an overhaul of the corrections’ system is in order.
He noted the spike over the past four decades in the state’s prison population is largely because of an increase in the number of people locked up for substance abuse-related problems, and said new laws and policies should be enacted to reverse the trend.
“We need your help. We want you to be part of our team,” said Baldwin, who was a keynote speaker at the 13th annual Southern Illinois Drug Awareness Conference held this week at John A. Logan College. Attendees, roughly 500 of them, represented a variety of fields that interact with drug offenders, including law and order, counselors, educators and many others.
Sun-Times: Maybe more regulation not answer in taxi-ride-share debate
Getting a license to drive a taxi in Chicago is an onerously time-consuming and costly eight-step bureaucratic process, I was reminded Tuesday.
Applicants must pass a six-day city college course, submit a copy of their driving record from the state, undergo a fingerprint background check, prove they’ve cleared up any city debts such as unpaid parking tickets and . . .
Turn in initial documentation to the city with a $15 fee, get drug-tested at a city-approved facility, receive a physical exam including tuberculosis test from doctor and finally take fingerprint results back to the city.