An IMA VP also addressed a coming shortage of manufacturing workers: About half of the state’s manufacturing workforce, an estimated 300,000 workers, will retire in the next 15 years. Denzler said it will be a struggle to find skilled job applicants to fill those vacancies. “What the statistics show is that we’ll need 25,000 production workers and 4,000 to 5,000 engineers per year just to replace what we have now.”

Marc Levine, chairman of the $16 billion Illinois State Board of Investment, had a provocative question this month during a board meeting about hedge funds. “Why do I need you?” Mr. Levine asked. A lot of big investors are asking the same question. Comment: Well done, Levine. He’s brought sanity and efficiency into state investments.

Some Illinois government agencies are now part of Gov. Rauner’s new Department of Innovation and Technology. The governor announced the formation of the department recently in an effort to reduce redundant agencies in the state. Part of the formation of the department was to consolidate all of the IT services to the state into the centralized agency.

Comment: Divestment has no effect and only hurts the university. Stick to doing your job, faculty.

Under Illinois’ workers’ compensation system, doctors are incentivized to prescribe more opioids at higher prices than they would otherwise.