CHICAGO — The Civic Federation today released a position paper calling on the Illinois General Assembly to pursue foundational structural reform of Northeastern Illinois’ mass transit systems—the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra, Pace and the Regional Transit Authority (RTA)—by centralizing the service boards and operations under a single, duly empowered and resourced regional transit agency. Doing so would allow for more efficient, effective, integrated and equitable service delivery as…
The Civic Federation today releases a report calling for the consolidation of the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra, Pace and the Regional Transit Authority into a single regional transit agency. The Federation urges linking transit governance reform with funding.
On November 15, 2023, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) released the Illinois Economic and Fiscal Policy Report. The report describes updates to the …
The following are summaries of the five most-read posts presented on the Civic Federation’s blog in 2023, listed here in chronological order. The posts examine issues related to Illinois taxes and debt, Tier 2 Benefits, the SAFE-T Act, and the tragic passing of Civic Federation President Laurence Msall.
Federal pandemic assistance provided to states through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) contributed to budget surpluses for many states, which were used for a mix of one-time investments, ongoing commitments and reserves. These surpluses, however, were for the most part a reflection of temporary factors that are dissipating. Since the federal financial assistance will run out soon, states will have to decide how to balance their…
Policy Brief: Tier 2 Pensions and Safe Harbor ExplainedThe Civic Federation partnered with the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago to draft this policy brief to explain Tier 2 pensions in Illinois and the Safe Harbor issue.
Policy Brief: Tier 2 Pensions and Safe Harbor ExplainedThe Civic Federation partnered with the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago to draft this policy brief to explain Tier 2 pensions in Illinois and the Safe Harbor issue.
New data from the Illinois Gaming Board show that casino revenue gross receipts have continued their recent trend of annual growth, thereby increasing tax allocations to the State of Illinois and local governments. These data also offer first-month estimates of the City of Chicago’s inaugural casino, the temporary location of which opened Sept. 9, 2023, at the former Medinah Temple building. The revenue generated by the casino for Chicago will by State law be dedicated to the City’s police…
On July 18, 2023, the Illinois Supreme Court released a ruling that upheld the pretrial release provisions of the SAFE-T Act as constitutional, making Illinois the first state in the nation to entirely eliminate cash bail. These pretrial provisions, known as the Pretrial Fairness Act, took effect this week. As of September 18, 2023, judges are no longer allowed to order someone charged with a crime to pay money as a condition of their pretrial release. Additionally, the Pretrial…
During the last week of May, after the Illinois General Assembly had been scheduled to adjourn, legislators passed four budget bills for fiscal year 2024: the appropriations bill, the bond authorization bill, the budget implementation bill and the revenue omnibus bill. The Governor signed them into law on June 7. This blog will explore the trends between the year-end FY2023 estimates from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget and the FY2024 enacted State budget passed by the…
