Recent News About Illinois Policy Institute
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The union-backed legislation would grant Illinois’ second-largest electric utility a temporary monopoly over the construction of new transmission lines across nearly three-quarters of the state. Gov. J.B. Pritzker promised to veto it.
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Illinois’ rainy-day fund is at an all-time high, but remains $6.6 billion less than recommended by state budget experts. Illinois state government can operate for fewer than 13 days on what it’s saved.
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Illinois state lawmakers had tried to bump their pay by 5.5%, but that violated the state constitution. The must settle for 5%, meaning they will make nearly $90,000 a year.
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Illinoisans face the second gas tax hike of 2023 on July 1. The 3.1 cent hike doesn’t need lawmaker approval, thanks to state leaders implementing automatic gas tax hikes.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s temporary tax relief expires July 1 when Illinois reinstates the grocery tax instead of joining the 37 states that don’t tax groceries at all.
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The Chicago Teachers Union pours money into political campaigns, but that isn’t all. It also pressures lawmakers to abide by its legislative agenda. It’s a one-two political punch: helping elect lawmakers and then telling them what to do.
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The Illinois General Assembly is poised to pass a budget without extending the Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program, which allows 9,000 low-income students to attend a school of their choice. The program expires Dec. 31.
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Illinois state lawmakers shorted pensions by $4.1 billion and killed scholarships for low-income students, but gave themselves pay raises and a new office building. Their budget leaves no room for error as revenue projections drop.
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Illinoisans face the second gas tax hike of 2023 on July 1. The 3.1 cent hike doesn’t need lawmaker approval, thanks to Gov. J.B. Pritzker implementing automatic gas tax hikes.
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1,108 Illinois communities of all sizes shared in the record loss of more than 104,000 residents in 2022, according to new Census Bureau data. Chicago lost 32% of the state’s total.
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No matter what rhetoric about passing a balanced budget comes out of Springfield, the state budget will automatically be unbalanced because of inadequate pension contributions.
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A jury found all “ComEd Four” defendants guilty of bribing Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan in exchange for favorable legislation. It was an alarm for Springfield lawmakers that half-measures don’t work and lasting ethics reform is needed in Illinois.
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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 42nd and final disaster proclamation has expired after 1,155 days in a state of emergency. Illinois was 1 of only 6 states still under emergency orders because of the pandemic.
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Illinois’ congressional Democrats asked for an additional $25 million to pay for security at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Host cities typically receive $50 million.
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Illinois lost more than 105,000 residents and $10.9 billion on net in adjusted gross income to other states from 2020-2021, according to new federal tax return data. Losses were spread across every age and income group.
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AFSCME Council 31’s own federal reports show 18.5% of workers have chosen to break away since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Janus v. AFSCME. It could be because less than 21% of the union’s spending is on representing its members.
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Illinois voters passed a first-of-its-kind government union provision when they approved Amendment 1 in November 2022. Inaccurately dubbed a “Workers’ Rights Amendment,”1 it in truth allows government union contracts to override state and local laws.2
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Illinois’ record population decline affected nearly all counties in 2022
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The ComEd 4 corruption trial proves concentrated power breeds corruption. The fix? Reform the rules former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan crafted to concentrate all that power.
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All 11 major industries in Illinois were among the worst in the nation for job growth from January 2019 to January 2023, with each of them ranking in the bottom half in the nation.