Bill regulating school buses heads to Rauner’s desk

By Brendan Bakala

06/03/2017

House Bill 3293, which would force any person or group that is not a school district, religious organization or transportation company, but that possesses a school bus, to change the appearance of the school bus, passed the Illinois General Assembly on the last day of spring session.

TAGS: Dan McConchie, education, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Kyle McCarter

Multibillion-dollar tax hikes will only exacerbate Illinois’ weak economic activity

By Ted Dabrowski, Craig Lesner

04/13/2017

The latest report from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability shows Illinois experienced falling tax collections, indicating trouble in the state economy. Spending reforms – not tax hikes – are what Illinois needs to right its fiscal ship and boost economic growth.

TAGS: budget, COGFA: Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, Dan McConchie, Kyle McCarter, Moody's Investor Service

The latest budget proposal for Illinois: A no-tax-hike plan

By Ted Dabrowski, Craig Lesner

04/08/2017

The Taxpayer Bargain finally shifts the budget conversation in favor of taxpayers over politicians, with a plan that balances the state budget without tax hikes.

TAGS: budget, Christine Radogno, Dan McConchie, grand bargain, Illinois Senate, John Cullerton, Kyle McCarter

New bill would even the playing field for third-party and independent candidates

By Brendan Bakala

01/23/2017

Senate Bill 63 would make signature requirements to get on the ballot uniform for all candidates.

TAGS: ballot, election, Kyle McCarter

The Illinois state senators who pledged not to raise taxes

By Brendan Bakala

01/20/2017

As pressure mounts on state senators and representatives to vote in favor of multibillion-dollar tax hikes, lawmakers should remember the promises they’ve made to taxpayers.

TAGS: Bill Brady, Christine Radogno, Dave Syverson, income tax, Jim Oberweis, John Cullerton, Kyle McCarter, Sue Rezin, taxes, Tim Bivins

Blue steel: Illinois’ manufacturing exodus continues

By Austin Berg

04/02/2015

Workers’ compensation costs are killing Illinois steel.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dwight Kay, Indiana, Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Kyle McCarter, manufacturing, Michigan, Selvaggio Steel, T&B Steel Tubing, United States Steel Corp., workers compensation

A principled stand against pension “fix”

By Matt Paprocki

12/04/2013

Lawmakers met in Springfield on Tuesday for a special session on pension reform. After an early morning committee hearing, a gathering of each of the four legislative caucuses and several hours of lengthy floor debates, a pension bill passed the House and Senate, and now awaits Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature. The Illinois Policy Institute adamantly...

TAGS: Brad Halbrook, Brian Stewart, Dale Righter, Dan Duffy, David Harris, David Luechtefeld, defined benefit plans, Dwight Kay, Jason Barickman, Jeanne Ives, Joe Sosnowski, Kyle McCarter, pensions, Senate Bill 1, Tom Cross, Tom Morrison

Despite the many problems Illinois faces, there is much to be thankful for

By Matt Paprocki, Jane McEnaney

11/28/2013

Working at free market think tank in Illinois, it’s easy to get discouraged by bad policies. Despite the many problems Illinois faces, there is much to be thankful for. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are some of the things we are most thankful for this year: Illinois’ flat income tax. Illinois’ current flat tax...

TAGS: fair tax, flat tax, income tax, Jeanne Ives, Joe Sosnowski, Kyle McCarter, Matt Murphy, Patti Bellock, Ron Sandack, Tom Morrison

Unlocking Opportunity: How Occupational Licensing Reform Would Promote Equitable Empowerment in Illinois

Illinois finds itself at a crossroads: will it empower minorities and poor people to unleash their potential, or will it perpetuate an inequitable status quo? For far too many Illinoisans, opportunity is unfairly and unnecessarily out of reach. Illinois ranks in the bottom ten among all states in social mobility and last among Midwest states...

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Unlocking Opportunity: How Occupational Licensing Reform Would Promote Equitable Empowerment in Illinois

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Joel Hamernick

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students