In this joint column, Dennis Byrne and Eric Zorn discuss the origins and severity of Illinois’ fiscal crisis. Both columnists cite from the Civic Federation’s “Fiscal Rehabilitation Plan for the State of Illinois” to illustrate some of the…
In this news segment about the inability of Illinois legislators to pass a FY2011 budget, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall says that Illinois cannot afford to borrow to fill the State’s budget deficit and that many of the budget…
In a roundtable discussion about the Illinois Legislature’s budget negotiations on this segment of the “Chicago Tonight” news program, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall said that the likelihood of a balanced budget being passed is…
In this column about the options available to the State of Illinois to help fix its $13 billion budget deficit and the difficulty in reducing spending while also preserving government programs, Eric Zorn quotes the Civic Federation as…
Don Wade and Roma interview Civic Federation President Laurence Msall about the Illinois budget crisis.
This article discusses the reasons why the Civic Federation opposed Governor Quinn’s proposed FY2011 budget, such as the budget’s inadequate spending cuts and lack of significant pension program reforms.
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…
The Chicago School Finance Authority (SFA) is scheduled to be officially dissolved on June 1, 2010. The SFA is a separate unit of government created in 1980 by the Illinois General Assembly and charged with “promoting the financial…
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…
On May 11, Governor Quinn vetoed Senate Bill 0365, a bill that would have limited but not…
