Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is set to deliver his fourth budget address today, Feb. 2. Billions in federal relief funds temporarily helped state finances. But without key reforms, state debt will be back to where it was or worse. Adam Schuster joins the Policy Shop to walk through the simple solutions to fix Illinois’ budget.....
A think tank advised Illinois leaders not to use temporary federal COVID-19 relief aid for on-going programs. It would lead to future funding shortfalls.
Published Jan. 30, 2022
“We’ve been going back and forth with the union to have that vote to no avail, so we brought in help from National Right To Work to file everything to decertify.”
Published Jan. 27, 2022 Illinois’ economy was shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic, but 2021 was supposed to be a year of recovery. Unfortunately, the policy climate continues to be the state’s biggest liability despite high vaccination rates, great natural endowments, a talented workforce, a large financial sector and a growing tech industry. While Illinois boasts...
The Members First Caucus said the current Chicago Teachers Union leaders see “work stoppages and strikes as the first step, and not the last one.” They want less political activism and more focus on delivering for members and students.
When it comes to pensions, it’s unfair to shove more workers into a broken system while the General Assembly drags its feet on real reform. What if, while we continue working toward constitutional pension reform, we could give government workers the option for more flexibility in their retirement now? Adam Schuster joins the Policy Shop...
Gov. J.B Pritzker vetoed a bill guaranteeing sick leave for school and college employees related to COVID-19. He said he would rather sign a bill reserving compensation for employees fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Despite adding 262,600 jobs in 2021, Illinois is still a long way off from a full recovery from the COVID-19 economic downturn.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of millions of ratepayers sought to recover the costs incurred during Commonwealth Edison’s attempts to sway former House Speaker Mike Madigan. It was dismissed for a second time.
Secretary of State Jesse White said the offices will reopen over the next two days as drivers’ facilities resume in-person services after the Omicron peak. Governor offers no such assurances about lifting mitigations in the state.
Illinois has the strictest latchkey law of any state. A new bill looks to change the minimum age parents can legally leave their children home alone from 14 to 12.
Eliminating cash bail and regulating police officers were parts of Illinois’ SAFE-T Act that some lawmakers blame for a rise in crime and loss of police officers. Republican state lawmakers want it repealed, while Democrats say it just needs tweaks.
An investigation found $4 billion in funds to be doled out by politicians at their discretion, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker controlling half of it. The extra pork was packed into Illinois’ $45 billion infrastructure plan, including $144 million for Madigan friends – some who never asked for it.