Saturday, December 22, 2012
The bad news: Job growth in Illinois is too slow, and prison inmates probably watch better TV than you. The good news: Your lawmaker is one of the highest paid in the nation.
Feeling all warm and full of good cheer? Bah! Here's a little something to satisfy the Scrooge in you before the spirit of Christmas takes hold. We Need More Jobs: At 8.7 percent, the Illinois unemployment rate is 1 percent above the national rate. And job creation is improving at a faster clip all around us, in Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Iowa and Missouri, on average, according to Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner at the Illinois Policy Institute. "The reality is Illinois’ poor policies aren't allowing the state to participate fully in the national recovery. If only Illinois’ unemployment rate were equal to the average of its neighbors, 100,000 more Illinoisans would be working. Yes, jobs are slowly returning to the state, but that’s …
Saturday, December 15, 2012
The representatives and senators leaving office in January 2013 will see millions of dollars in pension payments, figures far more sizable than they would've seen in the private sector.
Are you worried about your own retirement? With the downturn in the economy, did your 401k and savings take a big hit? If so, you're like millions of other Americans forced to confront a dramatically different outlook for their post-work years. But one group of pensioners is largely insulated from such concerns — outgoing Illinois lawmakers. The retirement benefits Illinois legislators receive are far more generous than those most of their constituents could collect working full-time jobs, reports Scott Reeder of the Reeder Report, using data from an Illinois Policy Institute analysis in a piece published on Watchdog.org. The anticipated pension benefits of the 34 lawmakers who will depart the state legislature in January show these …
Friday, November 30, 2012
Illinois Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) was chosen to continue her position Wednesday during the inauguration ceremonies for the 98th General Assembly.
Illinois Sen. Christine Radogno will once again serve as the Illinois Senate Republican Leader after being elected to her third term Wednesday during inaugural ceremonies for the 98th General Assembly. Radogno, a Lemont resident, faced a challenge from conservative Sen. Kyle McCarter of Lebanon, according to the Chicago Tribune. Senate Republicans met behind closed doors, and elected Radogno by acclamation. “It is an honor to be chosen to lead the Senate Republican Caucus,” Radogno said in a release. "I thank the constituents of the 41st District for giving me the privilege to represent them in the state capitol and the opportunity to serve as Leader. Illinois faces many challenges, but by working together our Caucus has had some success …
Sunday, June 10, 2012
It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, June 10, 2012
Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters. SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Capitol was quiet a week after lawmakers closed out the spring legislative session, but pension reform negotiations continue behind closed doors in Chicago Legislative leaders meet with Quinn in Chicago The state’s four top legislative leaders met with Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday in Chicago to begin hashing out pension reform. The reform effort fell apart in the final hours of the legislative session, when lawmakers disagreed over shifting some costs to local school districts. Democrats supported the cost-shift, but Republicans said they feared it …
Sunday, June 3, 2012
It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, June 3, 2012
Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters. SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois General Assembly passed a budget — almost on time — Thursday, with the Senate ending about 1:30 a.m. Friday. The budget spends $33.7 billion for the 2013 general fund — the result of months of negotiations, hearings and a dizzying array of spending and appropriations bills with last-minute amendments upon amendments. The budget, made up of several bills in the House and Senate, includes $6.5 billion for K-12 education, $1.9 billion for higher education, $5 billion for health and human services, and $1.6 billion for public safety. In a testament to how …
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Under pressure from Illinois Republicans and Gov. Pat Quinn, House Speaker Michael Madigan announced he's dropping his proposal to shift teacher pension costs to local school districts.
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) on Wednesday dropped his controversial proposal to shift the costs of teacher pensions from the state to local school districts, universities and community colleges. The announcement came after two days of spirited debate over pension reform in both the House and Senate. Madigan's plan, which was part of Senate Bill 1673, was widely criticized by Republicans, and threatened to derail other legislation to address the state's massive pension shortfall. Madigan said he reached the decision after Gov. Pat Quinn asked him to drop the amendment, the Associated Press reports. “He agrees with the Republicans. He thinks that we ought to remove the issue of the shift of normal cost out of the bill…
Thursday, December 22, 2011
From a new murderer database to stricter seat-belt enforcement, here’s a look at some of the new legislation taking effect in the new year.
As the clock strikes midnight Jan. 1, more than 200 new laws will go into effect in Illinois, including a database of first-degree murderers, stricter seat-belt enforcement and legislation that gives the public greater access to government information. “Though many Illinois residents may not realize it, every Jan. 1, hundreds of new laws take effect in Illinois," said State Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont). "While some of the measures will have a greater impact than others, I always think it’s a good idea to let the public know about the new laws—some of them could have a significant influence on someone’s life or career." Here's a look at some of the new laws: Illinois residents and law enforcement agencies will be able…
Thursday, January 13, 2011
A story in words and pictures.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Senate Bill 2505, which passed both chambers and now awaits Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature, will increase the individual state income tax from 3 to 5 percent.
Illinois lawmakers early Wednesday morning used the final moments of the 96th Illinois General Assembly to pass a highly contested tax increase. Senate Bill 2505, which passed both chambers and now awaits Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature, will increase the individual state income tax from 3 to 5 percent—a 66 percent increase—and raise the corporate income tax rate from 4.8 percent to 7 percent. Neither of the increases is permanent. Both have provisions that will lower the rates in four years. The tax-hike passed the House of Representatives with 60 yes votes. State Rep. Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, voted against the bill. Senate members, meanwhile, debated the bill into the early hours of this morning. Ultimately, the plan passed with the …
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Republican defeated Democratic challenger Matthew Mostowik with over three-quarters of the vote.
UPDATED Republican Jim Durkin will retain his seat in the Illinois General Assembly as representative for the 82nd District after defeating Democratic challenger Matthew Mostowik. The Springfield veteran won 69.99 percent of the votes in DuPage County with 100 percent of precincts reporting, according to the DuPage County Election Commission. He won 76.4 percent of the votes in Cook, with 50 out of 52 precincts reporting, according to the Cook County Clerk's Office. "This was an election where all incumbents needed to watch their backs," Durkin said. "I believe the people in the 82nd District respect the work I do. They know I'm honest, and they rewarded me with another term in Springfield." Durkin, who lives in Western Springs, has …
Dennis Robaugh
12:27 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2013
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