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Monday, March 18, 2024

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Illinois forward 2024: A sustainable state budget plan

By Bryce Hill, Illinois Policy Institute |
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.

Their View

Illinois Labor Board says government unions cannot discriminate against nonmembers

By Mailee Smith, Illinois Policy Institute |
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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Chicago's progressive agenda has been destructive for black communities

By Matt Rosenberg, Wirepoints |
Politico says the Chicago mayor’s race highlights the importance of the “progressive” agenda for Chicago and the focus will be on crime. There are grumbles that incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot isn’t “progressive” enough. But the urban progressive agenda under her – with its emphasis on “social justice,” managed outcomes, and performative politics – has hardened the city’s horrible results for blacks around crime and K-12 public education.

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Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week gives Illinois a much-needed wakeup call

By Zach Mottl |
As our state grapples with economic stagflation with no foreseeable end in sight, fighting lawsuit abuse committed by self-interest trial lawyers would be one of the best ways to give Illinois the jumpstart we need to grow our prosperity.

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Students smack down Chicago 'Disinformation' Conference panelists, exposing far more than apparent about media

By Mark Glennon, Wirepoints |
Traditional media beclowned itself last week at a Chicago conference on “disinformation.” That’s a story in itself, but the bigger story is how they covered up even that story, peddling disinformation about a conference on disinformation. The guilty include Illinois media, which is further guilty of still suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story that is part of what sparked the fireworks at the conference.

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Illinois pension shortfall surpasses $500 billion, average debt burden now $110,000 per household

By Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner, Wirepoints |
Illinois just reached an alarming milestone: each Illinois household is now on the hook for, on average, $110,000 in government-worker retirement debts. That figure is the result of dividing Illinois’ $530 billion in state and local retirement shortfalls among the state’s 4.9 million households. In 2019, the burden was $90,000 per household.

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Illinois bill would give ISBE authority to revoke schools' state recognition

By Patrick Andriesen, Illinois Policy Institute |
Gov. J.B Pritzker has warned district administrators since early August that ISBE would strip state recognition from Illinois schools defying his statewide mask mandate. House Bill 4135 aims to give the state board of education that power.

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Left out of lawmakers' green energy package? Ordinary Illinoisans

By Ted Dabrowski, Wirepoints |
The Illinois Senate adjourned last week without calling for a vote on the state’s controversial green energy proposal.

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Illinois is under 'extreme' threat of drawing another Madigan election map

By Joe Tabor, Illinois Policy Institute |
Illinois is listed as one of the states under ‘extreme’ danger of partisan gerrymandering of its state legislative and congressional redistricting maps. Gov. J.B. Pritzker can stop that threat.

Their View

Pritzker's pattern of lies

By Illinois Opportunity Project |
Voters rejected Gov. Pritzker’s Tax Hike Amendment because they didn’t trust him or the rest of the politicians in Springfield with more power and more of their tax dollars.

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Survey: Illinois state, local taxes are highest in nation

By Ann Miller, Illinois Policy Institute |
Illinois households pay nearly $9,500 on average in state and local taxes, which at 15% of their income is the nation’s highest. WalletHub finds gasoline taxes pushed Illinois to No. 1.

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Moody's report: Illinois pension debt reaches record high $317 billion

By Adam Schuster, Illinois Policy Institute |
Illinois worst-in-the-nation public pension debt grew 19% year over year. It will continue hurting the state economy and job growth, driving more people out of Illinois, unless there are reforms.

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Gov. Pritzker turns his back on law and order

By Illinois Opportunity Project |
Mike Madigan is officially out as Speaker of the House, State Representative for the 22nd District in Chicago, and after nominating his handpicked successor over the weekend, he stepped down as the powerful Chairman of the State Democratic Party.

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Illinois lawmakers hand Pritzker another tax loss, pass Chicago pension hike

By Joe Barnas, Illinois Policy Institute |
Lame duck session was busy even when House Democrats weren’t focused on replacing Mike Madigan as speaker. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s small business tax hike died as 23 bills were passed, including one making Chicago’s pension woes worse.

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ITLA president: ATRA's 'Hellhole' report cruelly seizes on deadly pandemic as opportunity to shield funders from accountability for wrongdoing

By Larry R. Rogers, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association |
Even as the number of Illinoisans sickened by the coronavirus rises, and the state’s hospitals and ICUs fill with COVID-19 patients, a corporate front group is trying to capitalize on the crisis by disseminating misinformation intended to help its benefactors evade legal accountability for harm done to innocent people.

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Should pharmacies be held liable for the opioid epidemic?

By Jennifer C. Braceras, Independent Women's Forum |
Faced with conflicting legal obligations, Walmart files suit against D.O.J.

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Man who recorded Madigan, led Burke charges, pleads guilty

By Ben Szalinski, Illinois Policy Institute |
A Chinatown developer made the recording in 2014, which is still a piece to a lengthy federal investigation.

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Madigan spent millions to elect, retain Illinois Supreme Court Justice Kilbride

By Joe Tabor, Illinois Policy Institute |
Committees controlled by the speaker of the Illinois House funded more than half of Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride’s campaign contributions in 2010. Kilbride is up for retention again this year.