Governor Pat Quinn’s administration plans to begin enrolling elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients in Northeastern Illinois—excluding the City of Chicago—in health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in July of 2010. The pilot program,…
Facing a multi-billion dollar mountain of unpaid bills and declining revenues, Governor Pat Quinn has proposed a new short-term borrowing plan for the State of Illinois that has encountered opposition from the Comptroller’s Office. As…
The Civic Federation commends the Cook County Board for voting 12-5 to roll back half of last year’s one percentage point sales tax hike and for overriding President Todd Stroger’s veto. The Federation considers this a victory for…
For anyone who missed a last ride on the tilt-a-whirl when Kiddieland closed last month, a quick review of our state’s fiscal situation can provide a…
Tax revenues that states depend on to fund operations continue to decrease, dropping at least $119.7 billion nationwide in the most recent fiscal quarter. A study released by the…
The Civic Federation is teaming up with the Motorola Foundation to present the 18th Annual Excellence in Public Service Award next month. After reviewing nominations for some of the best and brightest public servants throughout Illinois,…
While politicians, unions and other supporters of Howe Developmental Center fight to keep it open, a new report from the U.S. Justice Department has raised more questions about Howe’s viability.…
The State of Illinois’ inadequate funding of its employee retirement systems has already contributed to downgrades in the State’s credit ratings and will continue to affect rating decisions for many years, according to a new report by…
Governor Pat Quinn plans to borrow an additional $900 million to keep the State of Illinois afloat, marking the third time since May of 2009 that the State has used short-term borrowing to offset revenue shortfalls. The Governor said last…
The State of Illinois’ fiscal crisis has had a major impact on the State’s employee health insurance plan, delaying payments on employee medical bills paid by the State for roughly seven months and causing the State to delay paying…
