This article discusses Governor Quinn’s proposal to cut $2.7 billion from the State’s Medicaid program. It cites the Civic Federation’s report that General Funds costs for Medicaid will increase from nearly $8.6 billion in FY2012 to $12.1 billion in FY2017.
This article discusses Governor Quinn’s call to stabilize the State’s pensions and restructure the Medicaid program. The article cites the Civic Federation’s projection that, without action, the State’s unpaid bills could rise to $34.8 billion by the end of FY2017.
On February 8, 2012, the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to provide the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture (IPRAC) $243,407 in funds from the District’s personal property tax replacement (PPRT) receipts. The PPRT is a corporate income tax that is collected by the State of Illinois and remitted to local governments; it was implemented in 1979 after local…
In advance of Governor Pat Quinn's budget address on February 22, this op-ed by Civic Federation President Laurence Msall discusses Illinois' damaged fiscal reputation. The piece offers recommendations for stabilizing the State's finances and curbing unsustainable trends in the State's Medicaid and pension systems.
A week before Governor Pat Quinn’s FY2013 budget address, a panel of Illinois State senators met in Chicago to hear testimony on the State’s major budget challenges: rising Medicaid costs and unfunded pension liabilities. The Senate’s two Appropriation Committees held the joint hearing on February 15, 2012. Senator Heather Steans, who chairs one of the committees, said the hearing was…
On February 14, 2012, the Civic Federation blogged about its support for a proposed resolution that would put the abolishment of the Office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds and the transfer of its operations to the County Clerk to a countywide referendum. The public hearing to consider the proposed resolution scheduled for that day was never convened due to a lack of quorum. In order for the…
(See addendum: "No Quorum for Cook County Public Hearing") On February 14, 2012 the Finance Committee of the Cook County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on a proposed resolution requesting a countywide referendum to abolish the Office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds and transfer its operations to the County Clerk. The Civic Federation recommended the streamlining move in…
In its most recent monthly briefing, the State of Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) published new revenue projections for FY2012 and an early preview of its FY2013 projections, both reduced from previous forecasts. COGFA is a bipartisan joint legislative commission that provides analysis on State economic issues and the fiscal impact of legislative…
(The full text of this article is available only to the publication’s subscribers.) This article reports that laws passed by the Illinois General Assembly are rarely accompanied by “fiscal notes” which detail a law’s financial impact on the State. The Civic Federation said members of the General Assembly should demand independently prepared fiscal notes to understand the financial impact of…
Municipalities and other local governments in the United States continue to struggle financially in the aftermath of the Great Recession. While recession has technically ended, revenues for many governments have not returned to pre-recession levels and expenditures and liabilities continue to grow. This has led to much discussion about the possibility of local governments filing for bankruptcy…
