Illinois, which had fiscal problems before the coronavirus, tops the list with an $11 billion request in May and June.

“To relax the state’s posture too quickly could invite a second wave of infections. Pritzker must not lose this war. But what the governor also needs to keep in mind is how to define victory: containing the coronavirus. We don’t want his pursuit of the perfect outcome to unnecessarily delay the restarting of activities.”

The state Attorney General’s office is among the agencies enforcing workplace guidelines and investigating non-compliant workplaces.

“Illinois and New Jersey don’t have the same sky-high unemployment rates afflicting Kentucky and Louisiana, but their finances are crippled by legacy pension debts that already were consuming their government finances before the pandemic crisis. Watch for these two states to face a grinding fiscal crisis and slow recovery if they don’t reform their pension liabilities.”

Only in phase four will bars and restaurants be permitted to reopen. The soonest Illinois regions can reach that point is June 26 — and it’s possible it could be later. “I don’t know how many restaurants – or any business – can go 16 weeks with sales down 80% and survive,” the Illinois Restaurant Association’s Sam Toia said.

One way or the other, Aurora has to find a way to close the hole with lower spending, more revenue, help from other money sources and strategic debt management, city officials said.

The federal CARES Act, which provided roughly $2 trillion to state and local governments in response to the coronavirus pandemic, allocates funds based on population, not the severity of the outbreak in each state.

The program, priced at $299, will cover topics including epidemiology, health disparities among different demographics, contact tracing techniques and health regulations, such as patient privacy laws. It will also train students in communication skills and resume building. They’ll also learn how to use contact tracing apps.

Elliot Richardson, founder and president of Illinois’s Small Business Advocacy Council, said that the second of the emergency program will include more community banks and credit unions that can be more responsive to smaller businesses.

Writes Jim Dey: “Indeed, Pritzker tried unsuccessfully to win a dismissal of the lawsuit because he said his modifications made the issue moot. Lee disagreed, noting that church members ‘take umbrage at the restrictions’ that remained after Pritzker issued his April 30 emergency order.”

Comment: Andrew Biggs from American Enterprise Institute had the right reaction on Twitter to this document. “I would risk Covid to have a public debate over this nutty study claiming that public sector pensions generate net revenues for their states,” he said.

Last year, the Illinois legislature passed a six-year, $45 billion infrastructure package that provided $33 billion in funding for transportation, including road repairs around the state, train line extensions, new locomotives and other equipment. The legislation came after a 10-year drought in funding for transportation projects.