State of Illinois

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A Consumer’s Guide to the Illinois State Sales Tax Increase

Starting today, increases in the taxation rates on soft drinks, personal grooming and hygiene products, and candy will take effect to help pay for…

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Update of Amended Illinois Open Meetings, Freedom of Information, and Attorney General Acts

On Monday, August 17, 2009, Governor Pat Quinn signed an amended version of Senate Bill 189 into law. Senate Bill 189 is now Public Act 096-0542 and will take effect January 1, 2010. The legislation amends various acts concerning…

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The Elephant in the Room

Earlier this spring the Civic Federation opposed the $26 billion capital plan proposed by Governor Quinn because it was…

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Is Illinois' New Budget Balanced?

More details are finally available on the FY2010 operating budget, and it would be difficult to describe it as balanced—even on paper. Depending on how you look at it, there is technically either a $157 million deficit or an $872 million…

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Governor Puts Off Budget Cuts

Hoping that Illinois lawmakers will agree to an income tax increase later this year, Governor Pat Quinn chose not to make the necessary cuts to work within the budget approved on July 15, 2009 by the General Assembly. At a press conference…

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Sharpest State Revenue Decline in 46 Years

A new study from the Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany, New York reports that total state tax collections for the first quarter of 2009…

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Governor Postpones Decision on Closing Howe Developmental Center

  As Governor Pat Quinn searches for unaffordable programs to cut from the state budget, the fate of the troubled Howe Developmental Center in Tinley Park deserves close attention. Howe, a state-run facility for the developmentally…

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Illinois Medicaid Program: An Issue Brief

The Civic Federation's Institute for Illinois' Fiscal Sustainability wrote this issue brief about the Illinois Medicaid Program. The report provides an overview of Medicaid in Illinois and highlights areas where the program's cost…

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State of Illinois FY2010 Recommended Operating and Capital Budgets

The Civic Federation's Institute for Illinois' Fiscal Sustainability produced this analysis of the proposed FY2010 Illinois operating and capital budgets. The Civic Federation does not support the proposed operating budget because it…

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A Fiscal Roadmap for Creating a Sustainable State Budget: Actionable Recommendations for Governor Pat Quinn and the Illinois General Assembly

The Civic Federation's Institute for Illinois' Fiscal Sustainability produced this guide for addressing the state's FY2010 budget. The roadmap provides an in-depth outline of best practices for a budget that would confront the state's…