Mindy Ruckman, Illinois Policy Institute News
Rauner signs bill shedding light on school district administrative spending
The new law will bring more transparency to Illinois school districts’ administrative costs, which are among the highest in the nation.
En route to Rauner’s desk: Victories for licensing reform, regulatory rollback and axing golden parachutes
Nearly 600 bills are on their way to the governor, some of which would be encouraging changes to the status quo.
Illinois General Assembly, 2017 in review: State pet, state grain, but no fixes
Illinois lawmakers passed hundreds of bills in 2017, but enacted no real reforms to boost the state’s economy, rein in the cost of government or provide relief to taxpayers.
Rauner issues amendatory veto of banker bailout bill
House Bill 3004 would have put banks and bondholders ahead of taxpayers and those who rely on government services. But Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto strips the bill of those bailout provisions.
Government consolidation gains momentum, but there's more to be done
Illinois is taking small steps toward consolidating some of its duplicitous local governments, but bold reforms are needed to start addressing the state’s nearly 7,000 taxing bodies, the most in the nation.
Illinois' 32% tax increase shows need or taxpayer bill of rights
Illinois taxpayers deserve to have a voice in budgeting decisions as politicians continually look to hike their taxes.
Illinois lawmakers pass legislation requiring financial impact statements on executive orders, ignore cost of bills they pass
House Bill 2379 would require fiscal impact statements on every executive order. However, less than 3 percent of bills enacted into law in the 99th General Assembly had fiscal notes.
2016 corruption watch: Chicago, East St. Louis take top corruption spots
This year was full of corruption and mismanagement from public officials, but four instances in particular stand out.
Illinois loses people at a higher rate than any other Midwestern state
Since 2010, Illinois has lost on net 2.6 percent of its taxpayers and dependents, along with billions of dollars of taxable income, dwarfing the rates of out-migration of other Midwestern and neighboring states.