“Public unions spend big to elect politicians, usually but not always Democrats, and then they sit down at the bargaining table and expect more pay and job protections in return. That’s how the public finances in Illinois, New Jersey and Connecticut became such a mess and seemingly impervious to reform. It’s how pensions for union workers came to swallow huge chunks of Chicago’s budget to the detriment of public services.”

The Illinois Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform has roughly a month left to compile suggestions they have received from several groups into a report for the Governor and General Assembly. Members know they face a hard task to make solid reforms to the existing ethics laws following constant reports of corruption in Illinois politics.

The Fair Maps Amendment, filed before the General Assembly earlier this month, presents a possible solution: the constitutional amendment assigns the next remap to a 17-member bipartisan commission, which excludes legislators or lobbyists. If passed and approved by voters this November, the new process would take effect in 2021.

As one of six private health insurers administering Medicaid benefits to beneficiaries in Illinois, CountyCare is required by the state to pay claims within 30 days. But as of Feb. 9, the health plan was more than 90 days behind schedule for claims that have been received but not paid. The culprit: Late payments from the state and the county.

This year, 54 percent of MAP recipients have no parent who graduated college, and 53 percent come from families that are judged by the federal government as having no money to contribute to the cost of higher education.

“But there’s no doubt: the county taxed soda more, so people bought less of it. It’s a simple lesson. So why doesn’t Springfield get it? Just like the soda tax, higher taxes without better services discourage buyers.”

“If Pritzker refuses to talk about that time, more than a decade ago, he was caught on a wiretap sniffing around for a political appointment from a sitting governor, Blagojevich says he at least owes Illinois voters an explanation about his $7 million partnership with Madigan.”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed merger of the Department of Labor and the Department of Employment Security has stirred opposition. Among other concerns, a group representing all sectors of Illinois’ job creators said the unemployment office is primarily funded by federal dollars.

“Under the Constitution, a state can’t be split unless both its legislature and Congress agree. States are unlikely to agree to their own fission unless pressured by, say, a budget deal to rescue them from bankruptcy (something not impossible in California or Illinois).”

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is looking to improve $40 million in funding for addiction and mental health services in his 2021 budget proposal. He plans to use money from the state’s tax on legalized marijuana sales.

Oak Lawn’s push tax, seen as an innovative way of generating revenue without raising property taxes, is expected to bring in more than $1 million annually for the village and has the potential to spread “like a virus” to other cash-strapped communities across the state, Bury said.

“The vast majority of the municipalities and communities throughout the state assess this fee,” State Sen. Robert Martwick said. “It is used specifically for the benefit, improvement and maintenance of the fire department.” Martwick’s bill would mandate all districts to assess a 2 percent tax on out-of-state insurers.

Like Patrick Doherty, who was indicted earlier this month, John O’Sullivan is a political insider who also works as a sales consultant for SafeSpeed LLC. SafeSpeed provides red-light cameras to numerous suburbs.

The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court by organizations including the Chicago branch of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Common Cause Illinois and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. It alleges that the secretary of state’s office and the elections board have ignored critiques and offers of assistance in implementing the program from advocates.

It’s one of the most generous utility regulation setups in the country and a testament to ComEd’s well-oiled Springfield lobbying operation, which is now under federal scrutiny. While investigators probe its relationships with various political power brokers, the company is coming back for more rate hikes, and the formula rate system all but guarantees it will get them.

In Illinois, the Secretary of State’s Office announced in December that it would expand operating hours to accommodate the rush. The Department of Homeland Security announced it will allow states to handle much of the process via an online portal. This way, most of the vetting can be done beforehand.

Still, $25 million isn’t much compared to the District’s $154 million wish list of deferred maintenance and new projects. And that’s scaled back from last year’s to-do list. District leaders have said they need to shore up money to contribute more to their employees’ pensions.

Craig Stevens, spokesman for Grow America’s Infrastructure Now, writes, “North Dakota and South Dakota swiftly approved their provisions of DAPL Optimization. The ICC should approve the project to continue to support the more than 100,000 high-skilled jobs the energy industry employs in Illinois each year.”

Cairo has been the backdrop for a number of economic redevelopment plans because it is perfectly situated on the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, however, nothing has ever materialized leaving the community struggling. Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget includes $40 million for planning, design, and construction of a new port on the Mississippi riverside of Illinois’ southernmost city.