Illinois Policy Insititute
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Labor Day this year leaves Illinois government unions fewer members to celebrate with. It appears to be the unions’ own fault. Over 36,000 workers have distanced themselves since 2017.
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Five Midwest states have enacted or expanded school choice programs since the Invest in Kids Act was enacted in 2017. Now Illinois’ scholarships are set to expire while other programs thrive.
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The Illinois Supreme Court ruled ending cash bail is constitutional. What does that mean for Illinois? It means ready or not, the system changes Sept. 18.
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It’s a simple choice for Illinois’ top legislative leaders this fall: listen to the over $1 million each got in campaign cash from teachers unions, or back the futures of 9,600 low-income students with a tax credit that is barely a blip in the $50 billion state budget.
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Officials at the General Assembly Retirement System suspended Michael McClain’s legislative pension after he was convicted on nine counts of bribery in the ‘ComEd Four’ trial. Precedent suggests it may not be permanent.
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People are rejecting uber-political government unions. The numbers prove it. There has been an 18.5% drop in membership across Illinois in the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 since the U.S. Supreme Court restored government workers’ ability to choose in 2018 in Janus v. AFSCME.
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Low-tax states attract the majority of movers, while high-tax states push them away. Illinois takes nearly 13% of all money made in the state as taxes, and lost 141,656 residents in 2022.
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The typical career state pensioner earns more in retirement than Illinoisans do working. Households now pay over three times more than they did nearly two decades ago to cover the costs.
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Illinois saw more than its fair share of corruption and misconduct again in 2022, but some politicians stood out in a crowded field.
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The omnibus criminal justice reform bill became highly politicized in the November elections, mixing fact and fiction. There are problems with the bill, but state lawmakers can fix them before the SAFE-T Act takes effect in January.
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Illinois’ 2022 general election was the most contested non-presidential election in the past two decades, with 79 contested Statehouse races. Illinois Policy’s Full Slate project helped give voters an extra 32 choices on the ballot.
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Illinoisans will have paid an extra $3.94 billion in property taxes during Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s term. Four years ago he campaigned on a promise of property tax relief.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his 34th disaster proclamation regarding COVID-19, extending his emergency powers to nearly 70% of his term. President Joe Biden said the pandemic is done.
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The so-called “Workers’ Rights Amendment” would lead to substantial tax increases for working Illinoisans and small business owners.
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Illinois mandates off-year municipal elections, but they result in lower voter turnout that gives powerful special interest groups more influence and diminishes local voters’ concerns.
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Amendment 1 has many more negatives than voters will ever realize, but one of those is a $2,100 property tax hike. Illinoisans should vote on all taxing and spending hikes, not just those presented to them as vague constitutional amendments.
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Alper Turan fled Iran 24 years ago to seek a better life for himself and his family. He wants to help his new home by being one of 38 candidates recruited by Illinois Policy to run for the Illinois General Assembly. He wants voters to have a choice.
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Politicians and pundits can’t seem to agree about whether the U.S. is in a recession, but the semantics matter little for struggling Americans. Illinois can expect economic pain regardless of what it’s called.
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Wages have failed to keep up with inflation, dropping Illinoisans’ purchasing power by $2,900 on average.
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A bill in the Illinois House would work to consolidate administration of Illinois’ schools without closing schools. The move would put more money in classrooms and take less from property taxpayers.
