Illinois Policy Institute
Recent News About Illinois Policy Institute
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Tribune: Illinois residents aren't frogs, won't remain in Madigan's boiling pot
Invoking an old wives’ tale referring to ambivalent, “average" amphibians, the Chicago Tribune recently created an analogy between disinterested Illinois taxpayers and a hypothetical pot of frog stew to illustrate the state’s simmering fiscal status.
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Analyst: Key to stopping loss of residents, jobs may lie in workers' comp reform
A U.S. Census Bureau report released this week reveals that between July 2015 and July 2016, Illinois lost 114,144 residents -- a net loss of 37,508 when arrivals are factored in -- a record high for the state.
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Rauner implored to take tougher stance in battle with AFSCME
Perhaps one of the most prominent stories in 2016 was Gov. Bruce Rauner’s ongoing battle with Illinois’ largest government-employee union, but how Rauner proceeds in the months to come will be critical, a political analyst said.
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Policy Institute, Madigan camp clash on population loss, business climate
Over 110,000 more people left Illinois in a year than arrived here from other states, leading to the highest overall drop in population in the nation, new figures reveal.
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New House speaker tops Policy Institute writer's holiday wish list
This year’s holiday wish list for Illinois state lawmakers ought to include a new House speaker, an Illinois Policy Institute writer says, as constituents brace themselves for the speaker vote set for Jan. 11 in Springfield.
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Pro-growth reforms called for to stem exodus of millennials
Citing worrisome data that indicates millennials are fleeing the state and taking their families with them, a Chicago-based think tank is urging state lawmakers to pass pro-growth reforms.
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Proposal would replace pensions with 401(k)-style plans for new public hires
With Illinois' state pension liability 17 percent more than it was last year, the vice president of a Chicago-based think tank recently said that 401(k)-style plans for public employees would go a long way toward easing the pension crisis.
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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.