Illinois Policy Institute
Recent News About Illinois Policy Institute
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Report: State's pension debt soars 17 percent to $130 billion this year
Already struggling under a multi-tiered fiscal burden, Illinois taxpayers are now confronting incontrovertible evidence of serious fiscal setbacks in their state as a new report revealed staggering amounts of pension debt and escalating red ink.
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Think tank: Further talks between state, AFSCME would be waste of time
The state's largest public employee union is calling for Gov. Bruce Rauner to continue negotiating after talks were declared to be at an impasse earlier this month, but further talks with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) would be pointless, an attorney for a Chicago-based think tank said recently.
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Four more manufacturers flee to states with less-hostile business climates
Four Illinois manufacturers announced in October that they are leaving Illinois and relocating to bordering states to open up new plants facing less regulation.
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Think tank: AFSCME an '800-pound gorilla' that bullies state, taxpayers
Terming the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) an “800-pound gorilla at the negotiating table,” the Illinois Policy Institute recently examined the relationship between the union and Illinois workers, suggesting that the balance of power tends to tilt toward the union.
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Think-tank analysts scold Madigan for not wanting to release tax returns
The co-founders of a Chicago-based conservative public-policy think tank recently challenged an assertion by House Speaker Mike Madigan's (D-Chicago) spokesman that Madigan shouldn't have to release his tax returns as Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner has done.
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Critics say teacher pension pickups oppress taxpayers
One of the biggest wins for the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) when it scored a victory through a new four-year contract is that pension pickups were preserved; but what is good for teachers is not always what is good for everyone else as the plan stands to cost taxpayers a fortune.
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Analyst: Illinois must create less-hostile tax climate to retain residents, businesses
Illinois needs to diversify its tax base and make changes to become more competitive if it wants to stem the tide of people leaving the state, an analyst for an independent policy organization said during a recent radio show interview.
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Analyst: Legislators love constitutional amendments -- that don't affect them
On Tuesday, voters in Illinois will vote on a constitutional amendment aimed at locking away transportation funds and preventing those funds from being spent for other purposes -- a measure that has opponents.
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Illinois taxpayers must demand that legislators reform pension system, analyst says
Illinois taxpayers need to send a clear message to the General Assembly to work with the governor and tackle the state's trillions of dollars in unfunded pension liabilities, the president of a government advisory group said during a recent radio interview.
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If Illinois Dems win big, they risk owning way more than just victory
While online campaigning and phone polling are changing the way elections happen, Democrats in Springfield may find themselves in an unfamiliar position if they should win a super-majority next week, a Chicago-area political reporter said during a radio interview.
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Study linking legislator pay to fundraising may prompt calls for pay cuts
A newly released study that indicates higher-paid legislators spend more time fundraising than legislating prompted a conservative think-tank founder to ponder whether Illinois voters should consider reducing legislator pay.
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State's pension-debt crisis lingers as solutions seem to remain elusive
Illinois' public pension crisis has been bumped out of the headlines by the Nov. 8 presidential election and other attention-grabbers, but the crisis hasn't gone away, the vice president of a Chicago-based conservative think tank said in a recent article.
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State losing young workers in record numbers
Calling it a sign of economic and political crises, the Illinois Policy Institute said the state is losing residents much faster than its neighbors.
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Thillens: Chicago property tax hike benefits authorities
Mel Thillens, Republican candidate for Senate District 28 - Park Ridge, recently responded to news of Chicago’s large property tax hike with a statement on his Facebook feed, expressing frustration with aspects of the process.
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Proposal for per-mile tax on Illinois drivers creates challenges
Illinois Senate President John Cullerton’s proposal to tax Illinois drivers based on road usage may generate more revenue to maintain the state’s roads, but such a complex task may prove immensely difficult to implement and sustain.
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Biss votes to increase home health care worker wages; fiscal impact would be $86.8 million annually
Illinois Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) is supporting a bill that would require the Department of Human Services to raise the hourly wage for personal assistants and home health care workers from $13 per hour to $15 -- a move that would cost the state $86.8 million a year.
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Skokie State Rep. Lang: Let’s hike income taxes by 250 percent
State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) wants to raise individual state income taxes to as high as 9.75 percent, according to a bill filed in the Illinois House last week.
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Illinois Policy Institute: SEIU-backed bill to increase pay for in-home service providers is ploy to avoid collective bargaining
A bill that would increase wages and secure health insurance for workers assisting seniors is raising concern at the Illinois Policy Institute, where critics say it is just an attempt by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to avoid collective bargaining.
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Pension crisis bankrupting state, hurting the most vulnerable, Thillens says
With Illinois entering its 10th straight month without a budget and with statewide elections coming up in November, voters, legislators and candidates alike are clamoring for action -- including Mel Thillens, Republican candidate for the state senate's District 28.