Illinois Policy

1/ 🚨BREAKING: Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan was just sentenced to 7.5 years in federal prison on corruption charges. Our team spent years exposing his machine. Here's what today means for Illinois, its residents, and its politics. 🧵

ICYMI Chicago aldermen: 👉 Say no to more housing 👉 Say yes to 1950s ward politics That's not governance. It’s gatekeeping. illinoispolicy.org/chicago-alderm…

52 school districts are up for negotiation this year. The Chicago Teachers Union wants them all. illinoispolicy.org/think-chicago-…

Nearly 2 million Illinoisans still rely on food stamps. But food stamps aren't the scandal. Illinois makes it so hard to get a job, escape poverty, and afford groceries that 1 in 7 residents still need government aid. illinoispolicy.org/nearly-2m-illi…

Illinois just tripled its vape tax—from 15% to 45%. Why? To keep up with a $2 billion spending increase. illinoispolicy.org/illinois-3x-ta…

Brandon Johnson says “enough is enough.” We agree. Enough pretending high taxes produce "justice." Enough trying to govern by reciting childlike slogans. illinoispolicy.org/vallas-tax-ill…

Illinois lawmakers say we need bigger pensions to fix the teacher shortage. But pension debt perpetuates the shortage. It sucks money out of classrooms and into a black hole of unkeepable promises. illinoispolicy.org/pension-debt-l…

ICYMI Illinois spent $2.5 billion on migrant care. That’s enough to give every homeless Illinoisan shelter for a year—and still have hundreds of millions left over. illinoispolicy.org/think-illinois…

“Bargaining for the common good” is unionspeak for circumventing democracy and forcing unpopular progressive political agendas into school contracts. illinoispolicy.org/contract-negot…

Chicago’s speed cameras fined drivers every 24 seconds last year. But $90.9M in tickets wasn’t enough. Brandon Johnson is adding 50 more. illinoispolicy.org/chicago-speed-…

The average working Illinoisan made $69K last year. The average government retiree pulled in $93K—at age 58. illinoispolicy.org/illinois-pensi…

Red-light cameras on Chicago’s South Side issued triple the tickets per intersection as on the North Side. In Chicago, "equity" means putting red-light cameras where they hit the poor hardest. illinoispolicy.org/chicagos-south…

.@GovPritzker hiked your gas tax to “fix roads” Then he used the money to fund government healthcare and political favors. illinoispolicy.org/illinois-moves…

Illinois paid out $13.2 billion in pensions last year. One-third of it went to just 13% of retirees. illinoispolicy.org/nearly-32000-i…

Only 1 in 3 Illinois students can read at grade level. But teachers unions want to deprive the classroom of even more resources to sweeten their pensions. illinoispolicy.org/pension-debt-l…

The Chicago Teachers Union says it wants to “bridge the urban-rural divide.” Translation: They want to forcibly export their deeply unpopular political agenda from Chicago to Granite City and beyond. illinoispolicy.org/is-chicago-tea…

Illinois families now pay $456 a year in wireless taxes. That's $136 more than the national average. illinoispolicy.org/illinois-ranke…

Charter schools are outperforming the Chicago Teachers Union with fewer resources. CTU's response? Shorten their contracts and limit their enrollment. illinoispolicy.org/chicago-teache…

A new federal school choice program could rescue Illinois kids from broken public schools—if the state opts in. In other words, the teachers unions haven’t killed it yet. illinoispolicy.org/congress-gives…

Should have gotten a state job. I’d be retired by now. My latest for @illinoispolicy realclearmarkets.com/articles/2025/…

Illinois' answer to failing schools? Lower the standards so no one notices. illinoispolicy.org/vallas-illinoi…