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The History, Benefits, and Concerns of the Illinois State Lottery

By: Quinn Newman Overview The Illinois Lottery was established in 1974 as a way to help fund Chicago’s K-12 school programs as well as many other causes over the years. The lottery generates about $3 billion per year with the state collecting over $700 million. Originally intended to help fund education, the program has receivedContinue reading “The History, Benefits, and Concerns of the Illinois State Lottery”

What is the Local Government Distribution Fund?

Overview The recent legislation to adopt police reforms (House Bill 3653) concerned many about a penalty if municipalities did not install body cameras for police officers by 2025. If the municipality failed to comply with the requirement, it would have face a 20 percent reduction in state funding from its Local Government Distribution Fund (LGDF)Continue reading “What is the Local Government Distribution Fund?”

Why Federal Economic Stimulus Matters for State and Local Governments

By: Christopher Ryan Crisanti Fiscal stimulus is not meant to simply be a generous act by the federal government to provide financial help to struggling Americans. Rather, the public policy serves a major economic purpose to stimulate economic activity by increasing aggregate demand for goods and services. In normal economic times, the Federal Reserve reliesContinue reading “Why Federal Economic Stimulus Matters for State and Local Governments”

The State’s Bond Ratings Over the Years

Overview A bond rating grades the credit worthiness of the state or municipality. The stronger the bond rating, the greater ability for the state or municipality to borrow at lower interest ratings and better deal to finance projects, fund services or service debt. This piece looks at the state’s bond ratings in prior years. TheContinue reading “The State’s Bond Ratings Over the Years”

Fiscal Pain From Fair Tax Defeat Will Be Broad-Based, Especially for Tax Payers

By: Christopher Ryan Crisanti Illinois voters convincingly struck down Gov. Pritzker’s fair tax initiative, which would have allowed the General Assembly to levy higher taxes on those who make more than $250,000 a year, while also providing relief to those who make less than $100,000. Gov. Pritzker recently responded by noting that painful cuts willContinue reading “Fiscal Pain From Fair Tax Defeat Will Be Broad-Based, Especially for Tax Payers”

How Redistricting Works

Overview The Illinois Constitution of 1970 mandates that legislative maps are changed every 10 years. Additionally, the Federal government also requires that a U.S. census be commissioned ever 10 years as well to record data on demographic and socio-economic changes in the country. The census data is used as a mechanism so that the newlyContinue reading “How Redistricting Works”

Partnerships

FYM Podcast Two midwestern feminists break down the political news you need to know, and none of the misinformation you don’t. What’s going on, and how do these issues affect everyday Americans? Tune in for fact-based analysis delivered with humor, and weekly actions listeners can take to be informed and engaged citizens. Prairie State PolicyContinue reading “Partnerships”

Illinois’ First Minimum Wage Law

Overview The U.S. Federal minimum wage was first implemented in 1938 under the Roosevelt administration with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLA). However, FLA did not mandate a universal minimum wage for all industries and were subject to exceptions. By the early 1970s, many state legislatures convened to address these issues by passing legislation toContinue reading “Illinois’ First Minimum Wage Law”

Illinois’ GDP

A Look at the State’s GDP Performance Overview The state of Illinois is currently the sixth most populous state, is the economic engine of the Midwest, and has the fifth highest GDP in the Union. Moreover, Illinois’ economy is so big that is the equivalent to that of Switzerland. This blog provides a snapshot ofContinue reading “Illinois’ GDP”

Illinois-Centric Books for the Holiday Season

Here at Prairie State Policy we like to read. In fact, some of our published work came from ideas or citations from Illinois-centric books. With many staying indoors this holiday season due to COVID-19, we decided to compile a list of Illinois-centric books for the savvy reader and Illinois politico. We hope this list containsContinue reading “Illinois-Centric Books for the Holiday Season”