Recent News About Illinois Policy Institute
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Voters wanting to show their Election Day pride should be careful. Sharing a voting-booth selfie on social media is a felony in Illinois.
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A new WalletHub study found the typical household in Illinois pays 15% of its income to state and local taxes, the highest in the nation. That’s an average of $10,463 – a 22% hike since 2017.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker introduced a Teacher Pipeline Grant Program to address teacher vacancies, but getting more money into classrooms rather than it chasing retirement debt is a better solution.
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The Illinois House has rolled back reforms made to its House Rules that govern how it conducts business in the wake of the Madigan Com-Ed scandal. New boss, same as the old boss?
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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared COVID-19 a disaster in Illinois for the 40th time. Illinois is 1 of only 6 states still using COVID-19 to declare a public health emergency.
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A package of anti-corruption bills were introduced in the Illinois Senate: one prohibits lawmakers from using campaign money to pay for legal defense, another fines felonious politicians $100,000 and one takes away their specialty license plates.
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A Chicago civic group suggests either increasing the state’s personal and corporate income taxes for 10 years or implementing a retirement tax to help pay for the state’s worst-in-the-nation pension debt. Here are the problems with that plan.
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Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois’ financial health was the worst in the nation. An unprecedented influx of federal stimulus and bailouts, combined with stronger-than-expected rebounds in tax revenues, saved Illinois from financial ruin. If state lawmakers do not take advantage of this incredibly rare opportunity and pursue structural financial reforms, then state finances will return to their pre-pandemic status quo.
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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced he will follow President Biden and end Illinois’ disaster declarations on May 11. Most states long ago quit using emergency powers, leaving Illinois as 1 of 7 states still claiming COVID-19 is a public health emergency.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker is making free college a priority in his second term. Tuition is driven up by pension costs, which Pritzker routinely ignores.
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An Illinois state senator is reviving an effort to change Illinois’ income tax structure from a flat tax, even though voters soundly defeated the change in 2020. Expect higher taxes, retirement taxes if he gets his way.
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Now that the 103rd Illinois General Assembly is sworn in, an early order of business will be to establish the rules of the chambers. Those rules need more reform to ensure another Mike Madigan doesn’t gather too much power.
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Illinois has reached the four-year mark with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration. What do the past four years tell Illinoisans about what to expect in his second term?
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New Census Bureau data shows people moving out of Illinois continues to drive the state’s population decline. So many moved away in the year before July 2022, it was almost like Rockford disappearing.
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The Biden administration promised nearly $36 billion to stabilize pension plans for Teamsters nationwide after forecasts predicted the system’s default by 2026. Union members would have seen their retirement benefits slashed by 60% if the system defaulted.
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More taxes on businesses and reductions in unemployment benefits were looming as a recession approached, but no longer. Lawmakers agreed to replenish Illinois’ unemployment insurance trust fund and avoid those pitfalls.
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Illinois’ Executive Inspector General reported a record number of complaints, some alleging financial mismanagement and conflicts of interest.
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Illinois government unions wrote the law that gives them a monopoly over all government employees in a unionized workplace. And that means they can’t discriminate against workers who choose not to be members.
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A survey found 37% of U.S. small businesses were delinquent on October rent, with inflation and rising costs absorbing “most sales gains.” Amendment 1 would likely raise commercial property taxes, and therefore rents in Illinois.
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Illinois added 14,900 jobs in September, but its unemployment rate was the highest in the nation. Inflation and growing recession fears could hit the state harder than most.