Progress Illinois

Improving the public’s understanding of how the Illinois state budget works will contribute to better policy decisions by elected officials, according to a new policy brief from the Fiscal Policy Center at Voices For Illinois Children.

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If Illinois lawmakers do not address the state’s growing pension crisis, essential investments in education, health care, and human services will continue to be cut, according to a recent report (PDF) from the Fiscal Policy Center at Voices For Illinois Children.

“All Illinois residents—including the youngest among us — are paying the price for Illinois’ decades-long failure to make adequate contributions to the state-funded pension plans,” the report, titled “Pension Funding Crisis Worsens” (PDF) reads. “The General Assembly is well aware of the harmful effects of rising pension costs on the rest of the budget. However, progress toward a solution has stalled — making the situation worse.”

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Andy Kang noticed the funny looks.

At an Asian American Center for Advancing Justice conference in Chicago last year, Kang, the Asian American Institute’s (AAI) senior staff attorney, presented an idea for a legislative caucus that would address the needs of Asian Americans in Illinois.

However, Illinois doesn’t currently have—and has never had—an Asian American member in the state legislature. “They said, ‘you’re going to form an Asian American caucus with no Asian American elected officials?’” Kang told Progress Illinois. “But it makes sense, so long as we yield results.”

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