Government Budgets

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What do you really want?

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…

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President of the Civic Federation Laurence Msall joins Don Wade and Roma

Don Wade and Roma interview Civic Federation President Laurence Msall about the Illinois budget crisis.

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Governor’s tax plan loses key backing from Civic Federation

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.

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Update on Governor’s Proposal to Reduce State’s Costs for Retiree Healthcare

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…

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School Finance Authority: From Creation to Dissolution

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…

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State Budget Update: Deficit Still $12.8 Billion

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…

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Eliminate Legislative Scholarships

On May 11, Governor Quinn vetoed Senate Bill 0365, a bill that would have limited but not…

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Cook County Health System Withstands Challenge to Purchasing Decision

The ordinance that established the Cook County Health and Hospitals System (Health System) in 2008 specifically granted its independent Board of Directors…

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Quinn Administration Retools Proposal to Increase State Retirees’ Health Premiums

In response to opposition from state lawmakers, Governor Pat Quinn’s administration has scrapped a proposal to reduce state costs by $254.5 million in FY2011 by requiring all retirees to contribute to their health insurance premiums.…

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Update on State Borrowing

The Civic Federation recently released its analysis of Governor Pat Quinn’s recommended FY2011 operating and capital budgets for the State of Illinois. One of the Federation’s…