Saturday, January 19, 2013
State government grows in the dark, like a fungus. • Bill Daley has an idea to take the party out of state elections. • Time magazine mourns for Illinois.
When Gov. Pat Quinn took office in 2009, he promised to take aim at state boards and commissions stocked with politically connected folks drawing large salaries with little oversight into their activities. He would pare down those panels and save you money. Better Government Association investigative reporter Barbara Rose this month looked into whether Quinn delivered: "... more than three years into Quinn’s watch little has changed, except the number of such units is growing. As troubling, many don’t comply with the Illinois Open Meetings Act, according to a report last year by state Auditor General William Holland." In fact, the governor's office is having a hard time keeping up with it all. "With over 322 boards and commissions, …
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Take the Patch Poll: Does Pat Quinn deserve re-election or would you put another Democrat on the ballot in 2014?
Pat Quinn is so unpopular, according to a recent Public Policy Polling survey, that Lisa Madigan and Bill Daley would easily beat him in a Democratic primary while Kirk Dillard and Dan Rutherford would topple him in the general election. Quinn says he's going to run for re-election in 2014, but as 2012 comes to an end only 25 percent of Illinois voters approve of the job he's doing as governor. Public Policy Polling says 64 percent of voters disapprove of Quinn's performance — "making him the most unpopular governor PPP has polled on anywhere in the country this year." And there seems to be good reason for that. Last week, 24/7 Wall St. published a ranking of all 50 states, and Illinois emerges as the third-worst-run state in America, …
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Durbin and Kirk support $150 million loan for SimpleHx • Few approve of Quinn • Convicts collect $2 million in unemployment • Poll: Biggert-Foster very close • State House candidate's domestic battery case dropped with scant attention.
One aspect of Obamacare is drawing bipartisan support — at least in Illinois. Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Mark Kirk both back an outfit called SimpleHx, which wants a $150 million federal loan to establish the state's first health insurance co-op under the president's federal healthcare law. The people behind SimpleHx met at Northwestern University last year while pursuing their MBAs, according to Modern Healthcare reporter Kristen Schorsch. SimpleHx is competing against four proposals, including one backed by the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council, a trade group founded in 1935 that represents more than 150 local hospitals and health care organizations. If the proposals are similar, in terms of promises to save money and …
Sunday, August 19, 2012
As we start a new week, it's always good to get caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened last week.
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Sunday, August 19, 2012
Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Watchdog, formerly Illinois Statehouse News. SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Democrats had a no-good, very bad week, starting Wednesday when disgruntled state workers and retirees booed and heckled them off the stage during the usually upbeat Governor’s Day rally at the Illinois State Fair. It ended Friday, when lawmakers called back for a taxpayer-funded special session by Gov. Pat Quinn were unable to come to any kind of agreement on pension reform for the state, which continues to drown in pension debt. Jeers for Quinn, other Democratic leaders at state fair Thousands of people gathered at the Illinois State Fair Wednesday, officially “Governor’s Day” at the fair…
Sunday, August 5, 2012
As we start a new week, it's always good to get caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened last week.
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Sunday, August 5, 2012
Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Watchdog, formerly Illinois Statehouse News. SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Pat Quinn increased transparency in one part of state government this week, but his own office failed to release emails that could shine light on his handling of public discourse about prison closures. Prepaid tuition fund to become more transparent Illinois families who invested in the state’s troubled prepaid tuition program will enjoy more transparency in the system because of legislation signed into law Wednesday. The bill, House Bill 3923, requires meetings about the state’s prepaid tuition fund, known as College Illinois!, to be open to the public under the state’s Open Meetings Act. The …
Sunday, July 22, 2012
It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.
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Sunday, July 22, 2012
Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News. SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House this week came another step closer to expelling indicted state Rep. Derrick Smith from the chamber, and Gov. Pat Quinn headed to southern Illinois to examine drought damage and dodge protesters. Illinois Statehouse News compiled these stories for this week in review. House committee recommends expulsion for Smith A bipartisan committee of House lawmakers voted Thursday to recommend that Smith, the Chicago Democrat under federal indictment for bribery, be expelled from the state House. Of the 12 representatives on the Select Committee on Discipline, 11 voted in favor of recommending expulsion with state Rep. …
Friday, July 20, 2012
Gov. Pat Quinn was in DuPage County Thursday to sign legislation co-sponsored by Rep. Sandra Pihos and Sen. Kirk Dillard.
A bill to create more transparency in state government, which Rep. Sandra Pihos (R-Glen Ellyn) co-sponsored was signed into law Thursday. Gov. Pat Quinn signed the legislation, which strengthens the Illinois Open Meetings Act, Thursday during a special ceremony at the DuPage County building council chambers. DuPage County Chairman Dan Cronin, along with Pihos and the bill’s co-sponsor Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale) attended the event. “This new law will require all entities subject to the Open Meetings Act to provide a certain level of specificity when creating their agendas,” Pihos said in a news release. House Bill 4687 requires public bodies conducting a public meeting to ensure that a copy of the meeting notice and agenda is available …
Sunday, June 24, 2012
It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.
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Sunday, June 24, 2012
SPRINGFIELD — In an ongoing effort to slash state spending, Gov. Pat Quinn this week signed a bill eliminating free health care for state retirees and revealed he intends to move forward with prison closures throughout Illinois. Quinn signs bill eliminating free health care for state retirees Quinn on Thursday signed legislation to end premium-free health insurance for state retirees. The state spends about $800 million yearly on the insurance program, but the exact savings from the new law will not be known, until a premium rate is negotiated between the state and public labor unions. “Those who have faithfully served the state deserve access to quality health care, and insurance costs should be more balanced and based on actual …
Sunday, June 17, 2012
It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.
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Sunday, June 17, 2012
Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters. SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Pat Quinn signed off on cuts to the state’s Medicaid program this week, and the House investigation into state Rep. Derrick Smith continued to move forward. Quinn signs off on Medicaid cuts, cigarette tax hike Quinn on Thursday signed off on a cigarette tax hike and a series of changes to the state’s ailing Medicaid system to help Illinois save billions of dollars. The reforms, which will boot thousands of low-income Illinoisans from the Medicaid rolls, include $1.6 billion in cuts, raising the state’s cigarette tax by $1 a pack to $1.98, stricter monitoring …
Sunday, June 10, 2012
It's always good to be caught up on state politics. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week.
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Sunday, June 10, 2012
Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters. SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Capitol was quiet a week after lawmakers closed out the spring legislative session, but pension reform negotiations continue behind closed doors in Chicago Legislative leaders meet with Quinn in Chicago The state’s four top legislative leaders met with Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday in Chicago to begin hashing out pension reform. The reform effort fell apart in the final hours of the legislative session, when lawmakers disagreed over shifting some costs to local school districts. Democrats supported the cost-shift, but Republicans said they feared it …
George Pickett
10:50 am on Monday, January 28, 2013
I wonder if he kept the monney? more ›