Illinois and many other states drafted budget plans for FY2011 based on the assumption that Congress would extend the expiration date for enhanced federal Medicaid funding by six months—from December 31, 2010 to June 30, 2011. Now that assumption is looking increasingly shaky, adding to concerns about mounting state budget deficits. Just before the Memorial Day weekend, the U.S. House of…
This article examines Illinois’ pension-funding crisis and the legislative reforms that attempt to stabilize the State pension systems. The Civic Federation points out that the reforms do not do enough to address immediate funding problems and to prevent bankruptcy, the State should increase employee contribution requirements.
In a discussion on the Fox Chicago Sunday news program about the Illinois legislature’s passage of an emergency budget, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall explains that the budget does not make sufficient cuts nor does it address the State’s increasing number of unpaid bills.
Before adjourning for a second time this session on May 28, 2010, the Illinois General Assembly sent a series of budget bills for FY2011 to the Governor. Both houses passed $26.0 billion in appropriations, emergency budget powers for the Governor, several one-time revenue sources and some borrowing for operations. The State’s budget for FY2011, which begins in less than 30 days on July 1, 2010,…
In a victory for good government, the Cook County Board of Commissioners on June 1, 2010 voted 13-3 to make permanent the independent Board of Directors overseeing the Cook County Health and Hospitals System (Health System). Without action by Commissioners, the independent Board would have expired in February of 2011. The Civic Federation, a long-time supporter of the independent Board, was the…
As the General Assembly nears the final days of this year’s regular session with no FY2011 budget in sight, a group of lawmakers is attempting to advance the negotiations by proposing a $1.3 billion package of spending reductions and savings. The proposal by ten Democrats on May 24, 2010 represented an uncommon effort by Illinois lawmakers to suggest significant and broad-based reductions in the…
In this editorial about the various Illinois gubernatorial candidates’ plans to balance the State’s budget, the Pantagraph encourages candidates for state office to read the Civic Federation’s “Fiscal Rehabiliation Plan for the State of Illinois.”
In this joint column, Dennis Byrne and Eric Zorn discuss the origins and severity of Illinois’ fiscal crisis. Both columnists cite from the Civic Federation’s “Fiscal Rehabilitation Plan for the State of Illinois” to illustrate some of the possible solutions.
In this news segment about the inability of Illinois legislators to pass a FY2011 budget, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall says that Illinois cannot afford to borrow to fill the State’s budget deficit and that many of the budget proposals floated so far do not make adequate cuts.
In a roundtable discussion about the Illinois Legislature’s budget negotiations on this segment of the “Chicago Tonight” news program, Civic Federation President Laurence Msall said that the likelihood of a balanced budget being passed is slim. He also said the State’s delays in delivering its promised appropriations has put extreme pressure on service providers and local municipalities.
