State of Illinois

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Preview of Illinois’ FY2016 Budget Process

The Illinois House adjourned on Wednesday, December 3,…

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Illinois Attorney General Seeks Expedited Appeal of Pension Reform Case

Shortly after a Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge ruled that the pension reform law passed in Illinois almost a year ago violated the State constitution, Attorney General Lisa Madigan…

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Illinois Takes Disciplinary Action Against Three Medicaid Managed Care Organizations

As the State of Illinois nears its deadline for moving Medicaid recipients into managed care, three managed care organizations have been disciplined for providing poor quality medical care or failing to comply with operational requirements…

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Positive Economic Report Overshadowed by State Tax Policy

Nearly all indicators point to positive economic growth in the State of Illinois for the fifth consecutive year in 2015 but due to a change in income tax rates, State government finances remain in crisis. In a…

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Proposed State Pension Contributions Increase by $682 Million in FY2016

The State of Illinois will need to increase contributions to its pension funds by $682.0 million in the next budget year, according to preliminary amounts released by the State’s five retirement systems.Total pension contributions…

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State's Operating Budget Continues to Supplement Capital Projects Fund

When the Illinois Jobs Now! capital spending program was approved in 2010 the State also approved a series of dedicated revenue sources intended to fund new borrowing costs outside the State operating budget. As previously sold capital…

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Budgetary Gimmicks Allow Spending Increases in State’s FY2015 Budget

As previously discussed here, the enacted FY2015 budget for the State of Illinois includes several budgetary gimmicks intended to make up for the loss of revenues…

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State of Illinois Education Funding: Analyzing Trends

Whether the State of Illinois has spent more or less on education in the last five years has recently been the subject of intense debate…

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An Overview of State Intervention Laws in Illinois

Municipal bankruptcies are very rare but a spate of filings, including the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history by the City of Detroit, and ongoing municipal budgetary stress around the country has led to discussions of what, if…

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State of Illinois Enacted FY2015 Budget: A Review of the Operating and Capital Budgets for the Current Fiscal Year

This analysis finds that the State of Illinois' FY2015 enacted budget represents a return to unsustainable fiscal practices including borrowing for operations and underfunding known costs. This spending plan will increase Illinois’ backlog…