Illinois General Assembly
State Government: Elected Officials | State Legislative Bodies
Recent News About Illinois General Assembly
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Illinois budget deficit projected to hit $6.2 billion by June 30, grow to $7.7 billion by June 2018
The state’s bill backlog is expected to hit $22.7 billion and pension costs are predicted to grow 14 percent by fiscal year 2018. -
Our General Assembly is generally dissembling
Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly have their priorities. Getting a budget passed may not be one of them, but finding new sources of revenue to share with their cronies – or simply squander – apparently is. -
Don’t let them get away with it
Budget negotiations must begin with reforms to the programs that drive state spending up and the policies that drive families and businesses out. -
Lawsuit seeks back pay for Illinois lawmakers
Former state Sen. Michael Noland is suing for back pay after the General Assembly nixed cost-of-living adjustments and forced furlough days. -
Metro-East area taxpayers would pay an extra $117M if Democrats’ tax hike becomes law
Metro-East area taxpayers would see a total of $117 million in state income tax increases if a tax hike measure passed by the Democrat-controlled Illinois State Senate becomes law. -
Unclaimed property bill affecting life insurance policies back to '96 passes; Not without criticism
A law requiring insurance companies to locate beneficiaries of unclaimed life insurance policies as far back as 1996 has passed the Illinois General Assembly. -
Robocalls targeting three local House districts with strong message against income tax hike
A proposal increasing state income taxes by 32 percent that passed in the State Senate by Democrats only has inspired the state GOP to target certain House district with robocalls in advance of a possible vote. -
Illinois income tax hike to 5% opens door for a progressive tax hike
An income tax hike to 5 percent makes a call for a progressive tax system during the 2018 gubernatorial race a much easier sell. -
Ignore at your own risk: radio frequency/microwave radiation
In a breaking news story on March 3, the CA Department of Public Health, in a widely distributed report, released a draft document outlining heath officials' concerns about cellphone radiation exposure after keeping it under wraps for over seven years. For those who have denied the hazards of cell phone usage in the past, this study cannot be ignored. Cell phones emit a kind of energy called radiofrequency EMF's (electromagnetic fields). -
Illinois' public pensions in some ways mirror Madoff's Ponzi scheme
A Ponzi scheme is a form of fraud in which early investors see quality returns, not because their money was invested wisely as the investors are led to believe, but because new investors fund the payouts. The cycle perpetuates itself – more and more new investors are needed to continue to fund previous investors' returns at an unbeknownst higher risk to themselves – until it inevitably collapses. -
Illinois Senate Democrats pass $5.4B tax increase
Each Illinois household would pay an additional $1,125 in taxes each year, on average, under the Senate's tax-hike plan. -
Illinois House has spent less than six hours in session this month
House members have spent as much time playing softball and basketball as they have in session since the beginning of May. -
Illinois Supreme Court: IHSA may oversee public high school sports, but not a public body subject to FOIA
In an unanimous opinion, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed the Illinois High School Association – the organization which partners with high schools to oversee high school athletics across the state – does not need to share its documents with the public under the Freedom of Information Act. -
Report shows 'true' accounting of pension liabilities more than double what governments say; Expert: debt is 'utterly absurd'
Financial expert Mark Glennon of Wilmette says in his analysis of a new study on state and local pensions that the only way to reduce the substantial obligations facing Illinois funds are by amending the state constitution or through federal bankruptcy. -
Brady 'bargain' is just another unbalanced budget
The Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn for the summer on May 31 – which means lawmakers have less than three weeks to pass a state budget. State Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, has proposed what he hopes may be the big “compromise” to end the impasse. -
New analysis of state pension systems shows number of retirees earning more than $100K nearly 17,000
New analysis from the Taxpayers United of America (TUA) shows that more than 16,000 former state government employees each collect annual pensions of at least $100,000, costing taxpayers more than $2 billion this year alone. -
McCaleb: Is Statehouse conversation fake because it ignores Illinois' fiscal reality?
By definition, fake news ignores the facts. It disregards and/or distorts the truth to deliver a message that is far removed from reality. I would argue that much of the news coming out of the Illinois Statehouse is fake. -
The reason asbestos attorneys oppose transparency is obvious
Legislation repeatedly introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to promote fairness and transparency in asbestos torts and trusts could become law this year. -
Do the Democrats in Springfield really need a bargain?
For almost two years, we’ve heard a litany of excuses for why Illinois does not have a state budget. -
While Metro East residents struggle, local lawmakers continue to get paid over 2-week spring break
The Illinois General Assembly adjourned April 11 without passing a balanced budget or tackling essential reforms to save the state from financial ruin.