The Illinois Open Meetings Act, 5 ILCS 120, was originally enacted in 1957 and sets forth the rules and regulations for public meetings of governmental bodies across the state of Illinois. The policy behind this act is that “…the people have a right to be informed as to the conduct of...” local and state government. Open deliberation and action are cornerstones of the Open Meetings Act requirements, along with good faith efforts to ensure convenient access to meetings for all…
Illinois and many other states drafted budget plans for FY2011 based on the assumption that Congress would extend the expiration date for enhanced federal Medicaid funding by six months—from December 31, 2010 to June 30, 2011. Now that assumption is looking increasingly shaky, adding to concerns about mounting state budget deficits. Just before the Memorial Day weekend, the U.S. House of Representatives eliminated the Medicaid extension provision from a jobs bill before passing the proposed…
Before adjourning for a second time this session on May 28, 2010, the Illinois General Assembly sent a series of budget bills for FY2011 to the Governor. Both houses passed $26.0 billion in appropriations, emergency budget powers for the Governor, several one-time revenue sources and some borrowing for operations. The State’s budget for FY2011, which begins in less than 30 days on July 1, 2010, is still unbalanced. It relies heavily on debt, deficit spending and extending the State’s lag time…
As the General Assembly nears the final days of this year’s regular session with no FY2011 budget in sight, a group of lawmakers is attempting to advance the negotiations by proposing a $1.3 billion package of spending reductions and savings. The proposal by ten Democrats on May 24, 2010 represented an uncommon effort by Illinois lawmakers to suggest significant and broad-based reductions in the State of Illinois’ budget. In contrast, the cuts contained in Governor Pat Quinn’s recommended…
Governor Pat Quinn and his Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) appear to have different estimates of how much the State would save under the Governor’s proposal to require all state retirees to pay a share of their health insurance premiums. In announcing the Governor’s recommended FY2011 budget, his staff said that the State would save about $255 million by limiting the State’s share of each retiree’s premiums to $300 a month. Under Illinois law, the State currently pays all…
Despite the General Assembly’s goal to pass a budget for FY2011 and adjourn by May 7, 2010, legislators headed home after the session ended with no budget and no clear path out of the State’s current woeful financial situation. Although multiple appropriations bills, revenue bills, pension borrowing plans and emergency budget bills were deliberated and voted on in both houses of the legislature, none was sent to the Governor. Now with roughly six weeks left in the fiscal year it is still…
On May 11, Governor Quinn vetoed Senate Bill 0365, a bill that would have limited but not eliminated legislative scholarships. His veto message states that he cannot condone a program that provides student assistance regardless of need or merit but relies instead on the favor of a legislator. Governor Quinn recommends that the General Assembly pass House Bill 4685, which would eliminate the legislative scholarship program effective June 1, 2010. Each of the 177 members of the Illinois General…
The City of Chicago released the final report of the Commission to Strengthen Chicago’s Pension Funds today, April 30, 2010. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley announced the creation of the Commission on January 11, 2008. The intent of the Commission was to propose ways to improve the financial strength of the City’s four pension funds. The Civic Federation served as a member of the group. The Civic Federation commends the City of Chicago for releasing report, which includes critical information…
The Civic Federation recently released its analysis of Governor Pat Quinn’s recommended FY2011 operating and capital budgets for the State of Illinois. One of the Federation’s strongest points of opposition to the proposed $52 billion operating budget was that it relied heavily on borrowing for operations. The budget as proposed by the Governor called for borrowing to fund $4.7 billion of the total $32.1 billion needed for operating expenditures in FY2011. Recently the Governor increased the…
The Civic Federation opposes Governor Pat Quinn’s $52 billion FY2011 recommended operating budget for the State of Illinois because it is unbalanced and does too little to address the State’s fiscal crisis. The Governor’s recommended budget borrows billions to pay for operations while continuing to ignore the massive backlog of unpaid bills, which will make the State’s financial condition worse. Although the Civic Federation is encouraged that Governor Quinn has signed significant pension…
