Click here to read the full report. Across the political spectrum in the United States, there is a growing consensus that too many people are locked up in jail because they do not have the money required for release. This report examines recent efforts to reduce the number of detainees in Cook County Jail by reforming practices in and around bond court and includes recommendations for improving data accessibility and coordination among the various agencies that make up the…
In the wake of recently ordered bond court reforms, Cook County judges are seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging the use of cash bail to keep defendants behind bars. Chief Judge Timothy Evans announced the changes on July 17, 2017. A week later, on July 24, the five Cook County Circuit Court judges named in the lawsuit filed motions to dismiss the case as moot on the grounds that the reforms would end the disputed bail practices. Lawyers for the plaintiffs have opposed the judges’…
As Illinois approaches the end of its second year without a complete budget, lawmakers are debating a new plan to provide partial funding for higher education and human services. This blog post examines the size of the funding gap and how far the proposal would go toward closing it. Most State spending has continued during the prolonged budget impasse due to court orders, consent decrees, existing statutory authority and full-year enacted appropriations for elementary and secondary education.…
Click here to read the full report. Prior to the release of the Governor’s annual budget recommendation, the Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability at the Civic Federation releases an analysis of the State of Illinois’ fiscal condition. This report presents the Civic Federation’s multi-year plan to stabilize Illinois’ finances and addresses the State’s critical financial situation. While Illinois has gone more than 19 months without a comprehensive, balanced budget, State…
As Illinois moves toward its 18th month without a complete budget, a new forecast shows that the State’s backlog of unpaid bills could reach $13.5 billion at the end of the current fiscal year. The backlog estimate is part of a five-year projection by Governor Bruce Rauner’s administration. According to the projection and a related economic and fiscal policy report, the mountain of unpaid bills could grow to $47.1 billion at the end of FY2022 if existing State spending and revenue policies…
Despite a stopgap spending measure enacted on June 30, 2016, State of Illinois appropriations for higher education remain below expenditures in fiscal year 2015—the last year the State had a complete annual budget. For FY2016 and FY2017, appropriations from general operating funds and related accounts total $1.6 billion, or 82.4% of the $1.9 billion spent in FY2015. In other words, higher education has been authorized to receive less than a full year’s worth of funding, compared with FY2015…
The Civic Federation is pleased to once again partner with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to co-host a half-day forum, “Medicaid Expansion and the Affordable Care Act: A Fiscal Checkup” on Monday, April 4 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To download materials and presentations from the conference, click here. AGENDA *Please note, additional panelists are being finalized. 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. — Registration and Continental Breakfast Badge Pickup…
The Civic Federation cannot support Cook County’s proposed FY2016 budget of $4.5 billion because it is based on a one percentage point increase in the County’s sales tax approved on July 15, 2015 that will make the City of Chicago an outlier compared to other major urban centers with a composite rate of 10.25%. While the Federation supports the County’s efforts to increase pension funding, the magnitude of the sales tax increase is not reasonable given the other available revenue and…
Local governments across the country are searching for ways to more humanely and cost-effectively treat individuals with mental illnesses who come into contact with the criminal justice system. According to a report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics from 2006 (the most recent year for which these data are available), over half of all incarcerated individuals in federal, state and local jails and prisons suffer from a mental health problem. In addition, according to the National Association…
Despite its name, a social impact bond (SIB) is not a debt instrument and does not require a government to issue debt. Rather, an SIB is a social impact financing arrangement whereby funds are raised from private sector investors to provide social service agencies the funding necessary to deliver their services. The government enters into a contract with a private sector entity working as an intermediary and the private sector entity’s chosen social service providers. The private sector…
