National Guard training to go ahead in August, September after action by Congress – State Journal-Register (Springfield)

It was reported two weeks ago that about 13,000 part-time Illinois National Guard soldiers and airmen, and more than 1,000 full-time civilian employees of the Guard, could lose two months of pay if Congress failed to act by Aug. 1 to reimburse the guard for security provided in Washington DC in January. Congress ended up taking action July 29.

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Editorial: Get rental relief to tenants — and landlords — to avert the worst of an eviction crisis – Chicago Sun-Times*

“So far, the state has paid out more than $185 million to over 22,000 renters and landlords, the state reports. In June, Illinois was the second-highest provider of rental assistance nationwide, according to Treasury Department data…Even so, Illinois still has over 73,000 applications yet to be processed. Chicago has a backlog of over 25,000.”

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Illinois gasoline taxes rise to No. 2 in nation – Illinois Policy

You see a lot of Illinois license plates at gas stations just across the state line in both Missouri and Indiana, said Robert Forsyth, president of Moto Inc. “It’s politically expedient to say you care, but when you pass regressive taxes like this it shows you do not really care about the rest of the state or your poor.”

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Pension woes weigh on Illinois local government ratings – The Bond Buyer

Illinois’ flawed pension funding system weighs heavily on the ratings of some struggling local government ratings and legislative action to date has made little headway in solving the quagmire, S&P Global Ratings warns.

State legislative action consolidating suburban and downstate public safety funds and moving Chicago to an actuarial-based contribution help but they fall short of alleviating the pressures bearing down on municipalities to achieve better-funded ratios.

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New York, California, and Illinois lose Boomer population – Patch Across America

From Truth in Accounting: “The IRS migration data reveals that older citizens are moving the most taxable income by billions of dollars. In fact, Boomers moved $12.3 billion from California, Illinois, and New York, while Millennials moved $7.7 billion…Moreover, since businesses are often owned by persons in this demographic, most likely not just retirees are leaving, but business owners as well.”

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‘It’s Been Hard Opposing Barack Obama’ – Politico

As the legal fight continues to play out ahead of a scheduled groundbreaking for the Obama Presidential Center this fall, it is shining a spotlight on Obama’s surprisingly complicated legacy in Chicago — and on the even more complicated political and community dynamics in an overwhelmingly liberal, yet deeply divided city.

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Governor Giveaway – City Journal

Pritzker could have used the independence that comes with bankrolling his own campaign to govern as a pro-business, centrist Democrat looking to spur economic growth so that his state could meet its liabilities and retain its tax base. Instead, he has continued down the path of high taxes and union control that will send even more citizens packing for other states. California and New York have more space for bad governance because they can afford to live off the capital of Silicon Valley and Wall Street; with no comparably powerful economic engine, Illinois is already in dire straits. In Pritzker,

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Gov. Pritzker Signs Legislation Further Establishing Illinois As The Most Welcoming State In The Nation – RiverBender (Alton)

The new laws strengthen the TRUST Act and make Illinois the second state in the nation to require local officials to end partnerships with ICE. In addition to the laws, Gov. Pritzker signed an executive order creating the Welcoming Illinois Office, to coordinate, develop and implement policies and practices to make Illinois a more welcoming and equitable state for immigrants and refugees.

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