Sunday, February 10, 2013
On Feb. 19 and Feb. 22, the state will stage public hearings to discuss a new concealed carry handgun law for Illinois.
Gun control hearings will convene before an Illinois House committee later this month, says Speaker Mike Madigan, and there will be much talk about a new concealed carry law. One hearing will take place in Chicago on Feb. 22, at the Michael A. Bilandic Building in Chicago. The other will be in Springfield on Feb. 19 at the Capitol. “In light of events in recent months in Illinois and in other parts of the country, it’s appropriate and necessary that we give a full vetting to proposed state legislation on this matter," reads a statement from Madigan. "These hearings will provide an opportunity for gun-safety advocates, gun-rights supporters and members of the law enforcement community to offer their views and argue their cases to …
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Jim Edgar tells Reboot Illinois that tax hikes, program cuts and leadership are desperately needed in Springfield. And Pat Quinn brings you Squeezy the Python.
With Democrats now holding a supermajority in the Illinois House and Senate as well as the governor's office, one might suppose a Democratic agenda would be a slam dunk in Springfield. As recent years have shown, however, single-party control doesn't guarantee the wheels of government grind smoothly. And former Gov. Jim Edgar, who served from 1991 to 1999, suggests that probably won't change anytime soon. In a wide-ranging interview with the new website Reboot Illinois, Edgar says Springfield is less dysfunctional when the two parties share power. "More times than not I think split government works pretty well. The reason is to make the tough decisions you need both parties. It’s hard to get one party to put up all the votes and take all …
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
District 202 Superintendent John Harper's first monthly column of the 2012-13 school year.
- OPINION
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Tuesday, September 11, 2012
We start the 2012-13 school year with same high hopes and expectations for great teaching and learning for all of our students that makes our schools so strong and vibrant. However we also begin the year with the same financial challenge which has plagued us for the last several years: unreliable state funding. Unfortunately to make matters worse Governor Quinn wants to shift teacher pension payments, which the state now pays, to local school districts to help clean up the state’s own financial mess. Shifting teacher pensions to local districts would cost District 202 $10 million or more each year. District 202 is doing everything we can to keep this from happening. In July, a group of suburban educators and elected officials including …
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Pension reform appears stalled once again following an Aug. 17 special session.
Legislators left Springfield Friday without taking any action to resolve what is now estimated at a $130 billion unfunded state pension liability. Lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on how to reform the public pension system during a special session called by Gov. Pat Quinn. The inaction led Standard & Poor’s to start the process of reviewing the state’s credit rating, and drew a reaction from Plainfield trustee Garrett Peck, a Republican seeking election to the 49th District State Senate Seat. “This was unfortunately another missed opportunity by our state leaders to sit down and try and get to the root of our pension problem and publicly address it. Instead, they used it as an excuse to merely say they tried tackle the problem for …
Friday, August 17, 2012
A special session on state pension reform is slated to start Friday.
A day before lawmakers were due back in Springfield for a special session on pension reform, Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation aimed at preventing lawmakers from cashing in on the state pension fund. House Bill 3969, sponsored by State Rep. Tom Cross, R-Oswego, will prevent outgoing and former state legislators from boosting their pensions by taking another government job at a higher salary once they leave office. The new law will require former lawmakers to either opt out of the higher pension at the new job, or require the hiring government agency’s pension fund to take on the additional cost. Currently, General Assembly members who began serving before Aug. 22, 1994 and obtain a higher-paying job at the state, county or municipal level …
Monday, August 6, 2012
Board president Roger Bonuchi and Superintendent John Harper joined officials from other school districts in expressing concerns about pension plans, proposed state funding changes.
Representatives from District 202 were part of a sit-down with Gov. Pat Quinn late last month to discuss pension reform and the future of state school funding. But officials don’t expect the discussion to bring a reprieve from possible general state aid (GSA) cuts or plans to shift the teachers’ pension burden to local school districts, according to District 202 Board of Education President Roger Bonuchi. Bonuchi said he and Superintendent John Harper were part of a contingent comprised of 12 officials from five Illinois school districts. Pension reform was a hot topic at the July 23 meeting, Bonuchi said, especially since Quinn has called all state lawmakers back to Springfield later this month for a special session to tackle the issue. …
Sunday, February 26, 2012
It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, February 26, 2012
Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters. SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn's budget proposal tops 400 pages and is more than 3 inches thick. Inside the governor's plan for the next fiscal year, which begins in June, are the details of how he wants to spend $33.9 billion in taxpayers’ money. Illinois Statehouse News examines the governor's plan, speaking with lawmakers and outside experts and checking Quinn's math to make sure that dollars add up. Bigger than last year Quinn’s fiscal 2013 spending plan is $700 million more than the current budget, an increase that will pay for the increase in the state's …
Sunday, December 25, 2011
It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters. Exodus of IL taxpayers means loss of $26B in taxable revenue Illinois’ reputation for political corruption and government mismanagement could have cost the state billions of dollars and an income tax increase. Illinois netted a loss of 366,616 tax-paying households between 1995 and 2009, according to a study ofInternal Revenue Service figures from 1995 through 2009 released Tuesday by the Illinois PolicyInstitute, a free-market think tank with offices in Springfield and Chicago. Those households took with them $26 billion in taxable revenue, according to the study. In 2009 …
Sunday, December 18, 2011
It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, December 18, 2011
Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters. Dems, GOP push plans to roll back biz tax hikes sooner More tax relief could be on the way with those paying the corporate income tax benefiting. Less than 24 hours after the Illinois Legislature approved $350 million worth of tax breaks for businesses and low-income earners, some lawmakers want to roll back the corporate tax to 4.8 percent, faster than outlined in the temporary income tax increase legislation passed in January. House Republicans and Democrats say they want to decrease the tax to keep or lure businesses in Illinois, so they will create jobs in a state with …
Sunday, November 20, 2011
It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, November 20, 2011
Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters. Cost of tax breaks up as support wanes A tax break package meant to boost a business community hit by the Great Recession could cost the state $848 million in just three years. The only funding source specifically outlined to date for the package is a change to the Illinois tax code that would bring in $571 million next year and $354 million in 2013 before running dry. At the same time, the provisions would cost more and more. By 2014, the state would face $848 million in lost tax revenue, a number that would only grow. But that’s assuming no significant jobs are added or …
BUTCH
9:43 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
@ J Ann Ammoland a mgr of bullets for WMD headed by Rabbi's and the NRA (kiddin) just Kosher Theologians. Killing Fields anywhere in Englewood W Englewood Marquette and Gage park! Tylenol scare of the 80's when a few people were poisoned and caused a nationwide recall and led to more riches and profits! Thanks for asking! more ›