Recent News About Illinois Policy Institute
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Illinois state lawmakers want voters to hand over Illinois’ economy to unions. Before voting for the measure, they received $15.1 million in campaign cash from those unions.
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Illinoisans will pay nearly one-third more in taxes during their lives than the average American. They will pay almost double what Indiana and Kentucky residents will pay.
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State lawmakers are asking voters to enshrine union powers in the Illinois Constitution. Here’s what to know before deciding the question on the November 2022 ballot.
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Chicago and state mask mandates have been dropped for fully vaccinated Illinoisans in most circumstances. Here is where masks will continue to be required, or not.
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Illinoisans on June 11 will take off their masks and breathe a sigh of relief – except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mandates.
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After nearly 17,000 Illinois parents opposed a bill to impose state health mandates on private schools, and state lawmakers let the effort sit, it seemed the fight was over. Not quite. A teachers union lead lobbyist pledged to keep pursuing it.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Democrats’ partisan legislative and judicial redistricting plans. He had repeatedly promised to veto any maps drawn by state lawmakers for their own benefit.
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Illinois made an important first step in its break with the corrupt practices that defined the legislative process under former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. New ethics rules about lobbying, financial disclosures and the legislative watchdog were passed in the final hours of the session.
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Illinois could fully reopen by June 11, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker decided the state was still a disaster zone and he needed emergency powers until the end of June.
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Pritzker borrowed during the pandemic rather than making responsible budget decisions. So Illinois’ federal relief must repay debt rather than helping businesses recover like other states.
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An amendment to Illinois House Bill 2789 could result in a flurry of complaints against private and public schools for alleged violations of COVID-19 protocols, provides harsh penalties, including punishing teachers, and expands state authority over private schools.
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In-person learning will resume in the fall, the Illinois State Board of Education has decided. Whether kids will still be required to wear masks and sit behind plastic shields in the fall remains to be decided.
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Illinois is listed as one of the states under ‘extreme’ danger of partisan gerrymandering of its state legislative and congressional redistricting maps. Gov. J.B. Pritzker can stop that threat.
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Job losses peaked in April 2020 amid COVID-19 and state-mandated shutdowns. In the year-long recovery since, Illinois’ has been among the nation’s slowest.
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If Illinois could have reduced corruption to the national average, an estimated 79,000 fewer people would be living in poverty, according to an analysis by the Illinois Policy Institute. State lawmakers can help by passing ethics reforms.
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Census estimates tallied population decline in 98 of Illinois’ 102 counties. Only Los Angeles County lost more people than Cook County last year.
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The Colonial Pipeline shutdown set off a gasoline price increase, but summer travel demand and pricier summer blends are likely to keep them there. Illinois averages $3.25 per gallon, AAA reports.
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Illinois is about to reach the extra COVID-19 reopening phase Gov. J.B. Pritzker added in March. Here are the rules of the ‘Bridge’ phase expected to begin May 14 and last until June 11.
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Democratic state lawmakers were given a private look at new Illinois House district maps. Partisan legislative maps and gerrymandering seem to be surviving ‘transparency.’
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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wanted to renege on the promised $350 million increase in education spending until state lawmakers pushed back. He still wants to cut the scholarship program low-income and minority students use when public education doesn’t fit them.