State of Illinois Budget

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The state’s financial problems

Laurence Msall, President of the Civic Federation, is interviewed on this segment of Chicago Tonight about the State’s budgetary problems. Msall points out that the State is pushing off its hard decisions to a later date in favor of…

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Good, bad and ugly: Illinois’ new capital plan; Kirk’s in

In this blog post, Greg Hinz discusses Illinois’ capital plan and the various infrastructure needs throughout the State. Hinz notes that the Civic Federation has urged lawmakers to prioritize spending through a capital improvement plan…

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Lots and lots of local winners in Quinn’s capital plan

In a blog post about the programs the Illinois capital budget will fund, Greg Hinz mentions the Civic Federation as one of the major supporters of the State producing a capital improvement plan as a way of prioritizing projects in the…

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Sharpest State Revenue Decline in 46 Years

A new study from the Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany, New York reports that total state tax collections for the first quarter of 2009…

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Governor Postpones Decision on Closing Howe Developmental Center

  As Governor Pat Quinn searches for unaffordable programs to cut from the state budget, the fate of the troubled Howe Developmental Center in Tinley Park deserves close attention. Howe, a state-run facility for the developmentally…

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New Borrowing Worsens Future Budget Strains

 Over the years, Illinois’ poorly funded retirement systems have put an enormous strain on the State’s budget. At times, the State has chosen to simply avoid the burden by making smaller contributions to the pension funds than…

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Taxpayers beware: Game is on this week

In this column, Steve Huntley explores the deadlock in Springfield over the State of Illinois budget. He cites the Civic Federation’s analysis of Governor Quinn’s proposed budget, which advocated state employee pension and health care…

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Illinois Senate OKs Income Tax Increase

In this news segment about a proposed increase to the Illinois income tax, the Civic Federation expresses concerns that too much of the focus in Springfield is on raising taxes, rather than fixing the state’s current fiscal problems. The…

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Quinn’s wrong targets

In an editorial about Governor Quinn’s proposed cuts to the Illinois budget, the Chicago Tribune strongly commended the Civic Federation’s analysis of the state’s FY2010 budget, saying it has “produced solid recommendations for saving…

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Illinois Medicaid Program: An Issue Brief

The Civic Federation's Institute for Illinois' Fiscal Sustainability wrote this issue brief about the Illinois Medicaid Program. The report provides an overview of Medicaid in Illinois and highlights areas where the program's cost…