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PI Original
by Angela Caputo
5:00pm
Thu Jan 14, 2010
1 comment

Should Teacher Evaluations Be Exempt From Disclosure?

Education

As expected, a bill tying teacher evaluations to student test scores sailed through the Illinois Senate yesterday and is now en route to Gov. Pat Quinn's desk. Upon its passage, House sponsor Linda Chapa la Via (D-Aurora) hailed the legislation (SB 315) as "groundreaking...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
11:05am
Wed Jan 13, 2010
7 comments

The GA Races For "Race To The Top" Funding (UPDATED)

State budget

Yesterday, the General Assembly returned to Springfield and, as expected, the state's mounting budget crisis was remained on the back-burner thanks to the looming primary election. In lieu of debating ways to fill the deficit, lawmakers focused their efforts on ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
3:26pm
Tue Jan 12, 2010
1 comment

Borrowing And The Backlog

State Legislature

Schools, social service providers, hospitals, and other Illinois
vendors continue to twist in the wind as they wait for the record $5.1 billion
they're owed by the state. Currently, House lawmakers aren't giving any
indication that they are prepared to finally put politics ...

PI Original
by Adam Doster
1:11pm
Tue Jan 12, 2010
3 comments

MAP Grant Ideas Emerge, Larger Funding Issues Persist

State budget

During the fall veto session in October, the General Assembly passed a law
giving Gov. Pat Quinn authority to restore second-semester funding for
the Monetary Awards Program (MAP), an important initiative that
provides need-based college scholarships to almost 140,000 ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
11:26am
Mon Jan 11, 2010
1 comment

Trotter, Harris Lament The Lack Of Political Will In Springfield

Taxes

On WTTW's Chicago Tonight last Thursday, a handful of lawmakers convened for yet another roundtable on the state's financial crisis. As the Trib and the Daily Herald
both reported today, the fallout from the mounting deficit continues to
grow. With each passing day, more ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
5:05pm
Thu Jan 7, 2010
1 comment

Mounting IOUs, Declining Revenues, And The Need For Action

Taxes

The bad budget news just keeps rolling in. Yesterday, Comptroller Dan Hynes released his latest report (PDF) on the state's finances. As Capitol Fax's Rich Miller put it, the situation has become "pretty much hopeless."

Not only has the backlog of unpaid bills now ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
3:28pm
Wed Jan 6, 2010

Number Of The Day: $750 Million

Dan Hynes

Yesterday, word quickly spread that some relief could be on the way
to cash-strapped universities, human service agencies, and other
Illinois vendors anxiously awaiting
a collective $5.1 billion in overdue state payments.  Gov. Pat Quinn
confirmed that by week's end, ...

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
6:53pm
Tue Jan 5, 2010
1 comment

A State-Level Step Toward Health Insurance Reform

State Legislature

Last spring, the insurance industry "used every trick in the book" to try to thwart a set of consumer-friendly reforms -- known as the Health Insurance Consumer Protection Act (HB 3923)
-- that State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) was pushing in the House.
But by assembling ...

PI Original
by Adam Doster
11:17am
Wed Dec 30, 2009
4 comments

The State Budget Fallout Continues

State Legislature

The new year isn't likely to bring relief to schools and social service agencies struggling to stay afloat while the state fails to fulfill its obligations on time. The General Assembly is not expected to take up a tax reform bill that would inject revenue into state coffers. ...