State of Illinois

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Legislative Scholarships Update

The Illinois General Assembly passed legislation to end the Legislative Scholarship Program as of September 1, 2012—allowing lawmakers one more opportunity to award the…

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State FY2013 Budget Update

With two weeks left to go before the Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn, two budget plans for FY2013 are on the table: Governor Pat Quinn’s recommended budget and an alternative budget framework approved by the Illinois…

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Illinois General Assembly Passes Measure to Reduce State's Bill for Retiree Health Insurance

Faced with the threat of a significant budget gap in FY2013, the Illinois General Assembly has approved legislation that would reduce the State’s bill for retiree health insurance by shifting more of the costs to retirees. Senate Bill 1313…

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Civic Federation Opposes Senate Bill 3564

On May 7, 2012, the Civic Federation sent this letter to Senator Gary Forby and the members of the Illinois General Assembly. Click here to read…

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Civic Federation Position Statement on Senate Bill 3564

Update: On May 9, 2012, the Illinois Senate narrowly rejected Senate Bill 3564. The vote was 29 to 23, with one member voting present. Passage requires a majority vote of the 59 Senate members.On May 7, 2012, the Civic Federation…

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Civic Federation Supports Governor’s Budget but Raises Concerns

On May 1, 2012, the Civic Federation announced its support for Governor Pat Quinn’s FY2013 budget recommendation based on an analysis by the Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability (IIFS), the Federation’s State government research…

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State of Illinois FY2013 Recommended Operating and Capital Budgets: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports Governor Pat Quinn’s $57.4 billion FY2013 recommended operating budget, because it acknowledges the depth of the State’s financial problems and would put Illinois finances on the road to recovery with major…

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Medicaid 101: How $337.5 Million Turns Into $675 Million

A key component of Governor Pat Quinn’s proposal to close the State of Illinois’ $2.7 billion Medicaid funding gap in FY2013 is an…

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What are the Rhode Island Pension Reforms?

Public officials and opinion leaders in Illinois have expressed much interest in the landmark pension reforms approved in Rhode Island in 2011. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel…

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Largest State Pension Fund Calls for Major Reforms in FY2013

The Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS) has concluded that it can no longer rely on the State to follow the law for funding its five retirement systems and that sweeping changes are needed to sustain the pension…