Last week the Illinois General Assembly adjourned for the summer. The House and the Senate sent numerous bills to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to either sign or veto. One such bill is Senate Bill 580, which would restructure the existing DuPage Water Commission. The DuPage Water Commission operates and finances the systems required to bring Lake Michigan water service to communities located in DuPage County. Beginning in 1955 with the Tree Towns Commission and expanding into its current form,…
This article is about Mayor Daley’s plans to hold the City of Chicago’s property tax levy flat for next year’s budget. The Civic Federation says the City should explore options other than increasing taxes to balance its budget in the current recession.
In this news segment about the Illinois legislature’s passage of an unbalanced budget that would leave the State further behind on its paying its bills, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall calls on Governor Quinn to veto the budget in favor of crafting one that is balanced.
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…
This article examines Illinois’ pension-funding crisis and the legislative reforms that attempt to stabilize the State pension systems. The Civic Federation points out that the reforms do not do enough to address immediate funding problems and to prevent bankruptcy, the State should increase employee contribution requirements.
In a discussion on the Fox Chicago Sunday news program about the Illinois legislature’s passage of an emergency budget, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall explains that the budget does not make sufficient cuts nor does it address the State’s increasing number of unpaid bills.
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…
In a victory for good government, the Cook County Board of Commissioners on June 1, 2010 voted 13-3 to make permanent the independent Board of Directors overseeing the Cook County Health and Hospitals System (Health System). Without action by Commissioners, the independent Board would have expired in February of 2011. The Civic Federation, a long-time supporter of the independent Board, was the only group testifying in favor of making it a permanent part of Cook County government. The Civic…
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…
In this editorial about the various Illinois gubernatorial candidates’ plans to balance the State’s budget, the Pantagraph encourages candidates for state office to read the Civic Federation’s “Fiscal Rehabiliation Plan for the State of Illinois.”
