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December 11, 2025
On the Right Track: Illinois' New Transit Agency and Path to Sustainability
Illinois Senate Bill 2111 makes major changes to the way transit service is governed and funded in Illinois. While the legislation specifies substantial governance reforms for the northern Illinois transit system and further provides new public funding for transit state-wide, many questions about oversight and accountability remain as the region enters crucial transition and implementation phases. In this report, we consider these challenges in light of four broad issues: governance; public funding; passenger fares; and system ridership.
Featured Reports & Analysis
November 24, 2025
Understanding H.R. 1: How New Federal Rules Could Reshape SNAP in Illinois
The recent federal government shutdown caused nationwide disruptions in public services and assistance across many domains, including food and nutrition supports for low-income individuals and households. For the nation’s 41+ million participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the shutdown was only a preview of what's to come, with substantial revisions over the coming decades due to the enactment of H.R. 1 in July 2025. This report lays out the three major challenges Illinois’ SNAP program faces under H.R. 1:
November 12, 2025
Property Tax Limitations in Practice: What the Data Reveal About Property Tax Caps in Cook County
Illinois’ Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL) was enacted in the 1990s to slow the rate of growth of local property taxes by capping the annual increases in property tax extensions for non-home rule governments, such as school districts and park districts, to the lesser of 5% or the rate of inflation. In reality, property taxes have grown much faster than inflation, and PTELL has not achieved its intended purpose of limiting property tax growth. This report sheds light on the limitations of the law itself and explores why PTELL has not been working as intended.
October 2, 2025
Divided Waters: Addressing the Fragmentation of Water Governance in Northeastern Illinois
More than 5.5 million residents in northeastern Illinois rely on Lake Michigan for their drinking water needs. Yet, despite its undeniable importance, the system designed to manage this critical resource is a patchwork of competing interests and fragmented governance, resulting in inefficient delivery of this basic resource. This report explores the challenges and opportunities in our current system, arguing that northeastern Illinois’ water governance system should not continue as it is.
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