State of Illinois

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State Budget Report Highlights Pension Problem

  A new report by the Civic Federation’s Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability (IIFS)…

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State of Illinois Enacted Budget FY2011: A Review of the Operating Budget Enacted for the Current Fiscal Year

This report examines the State of Illinois’ $53.5 billion operating budget for Fiscal Year 2011, which began on July 1, 2010 and ends on June 30, 2011. The report focuses on the $25.8 billion General Funds budget, the largest component of…

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Civic Federation 2011 Legislative Priorities

The Civic Federation's legislative priorities for 2011 include public pension reform, requiring state government to develop and implement a capital improvement plan, the dissolving of the Illinois International Port District, creating a…

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New Pension Borrowing Could Stress State Budget Through 2019

When the General Assembly reconvenes next week for its annual veto session, it is expected to continue deliberating whether to borrow in FY2011 to make its required pension payment. If approved, the borrowing plan would lighten the load on…

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State Pension Liabilities Rise Due to Lower Expected Investment Returns

  After experiencing several years of poor market conditions, three of the five Illinois State employee retirement funds have reduced their expected rate of return on investments. This rate, also known as the discount rate, is used to…

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Stop Pension Borrowing

As explained in its recent analysis of the State of Illinois FY2011 proposed budget, the Civic Federation opposes the practice of supplying money to the State…

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Did Illinois’ Budget Rise or Fall Over the Past Two Years?

An issue in this year’s election campaign for Illinois Governor has concerned the State’s budgetary trends since FY2009. Different conclusions can be reached depending on which numbers are included in the analysis. Counting pension…

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Voters Avoid Hard Choices on State Budget

A recent poll of Illinois voters might help explain why elected officials have been reluctant to make difficult decisions to solve the State of Illinois’ fiscal crisis. The…

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Legislators Move forward with Performance Measurement for FY2011

  The State appears one step closer to implementing new performance measurement requirements that may significantly improve the General Assembly’s annual budget appropriations process. Illinois Senate President John Cullerton…

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What is the Lapse Period and Why Should We Care?

The State of Illinois is allowed to carry bills from one fiscal year through a specified period of time in the next fiscal year. This period of time—known as the lapse period—has been extended for FY2010 from two months to six months to…