Criminal Justice

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State Higher Education Funding Still Below FY2015

Despite a stopgap spending measure enacted on June 30, 2016, State of Illinois appropriations for higher education remain below expenditures in…

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City Colleges of Chicago FY2017 Tentative Budget: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation supports the City Colleges of Chicago’s proposed FY2017 operating budget. The $523.7-million budget is a reasonable plan given the unprecedented uncertainty surrounding funding from the State of Illinois as it enters a…

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State Budget Progress Remains Elusive

The Illinois General Assembly ended its regular spring session on May 31, 2016 without passing a budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The legislature now has less than one month to complete a budget for the year that begins on July 1, and…

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Alternatives to Bankruptcy for School Districts in Fiscal Crisis

The Chicago Public Schools faces a potentially devastating financial crisis. The elements of this crisis include:   An FY2016 budget that was not balanced as it depended on the vague hope that the State of Illinois will provide $…

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Proposed Illinois Budget for FY2017 Has $3.5 Billion Gap

With the budget for the current fiscal year still incomplete, Governor Bruce Rauner proposed a financial plan for the next budget year with an operating deficit of $3.5 billion.The…

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Popular Annual Financial Reports: The Potential for Increased Transparency, Accountability and Public Inclusion

Popular Annual Financial Reports: The Potential for Increased Transparency, Accountability and Public InclusionThe Civic Federation has long encouraged government transparency and accountability, both of which are emphasized in our…

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Cook County FY2016 Executive Budget Recommendation: Analysis and Recommendations

The Civic Federation cannot support Cook County’s proposed FY2016 budget of $4.5 billion because it is based on a one percentage point increase in the County’s sales tax…

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What is the General Homestead Property Tax Exemption?

On September 22, 2015, Mayor Rahm Emanuel released the City of Chicago FY2016 Budget, which includes a nearly $1.3 billion property tax levy, an increase of $427.7 million over the originally adopted FY2015 budget. The property tax levy…

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Rhode Island General Assembly Approves Public Pension Settlement

Two weeks after a judge gave final approval to a settlement agreement that would end several years of litigation and…

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State Construction and Local Tax Funds Allocated for Illinois Operating Budget

A week after passing legislation to address a $1.6 billion budget deficit before the end of the fiscal year in June, the State swept $300 million into its operating accounts from funds designated to pay for annual transportation…