prairiestatepolicyllc

Expanding Educational Opportunity For Illinois Students: Analyzing House Bill 2691, the RISE Act

Topics: Politics and Legislation Introduction “Illinois will always be a welcoming state,” Gov. JB Pritzker declared as he signed bill into law at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the face of President Trump’s recent xenophobic policies and ICE raids this June. Sponsored by Rep. Lisa Hernandez, the RISE Act aims to make stateContinue reading “Expanding Educational Opportunity For Illinois Students: Analyzing House Bill 2691, the RISE Act”

A Look at House Bill 2495: The Base for Expanding Reproductive Rights in Illinois

By: Isabella Perez Topic: Politics and Legislation Introduction Various legislative bodies in the Midwest have recently imposed laws that limit the ability of what women can and cannot do when it comes to their reproductive rights. In May 2019, the Missouri General Assembly passed House Bill 1226, similar to a recently passed Alabama law, whichContinue reading “A Look at House Bill 2495: The Base for Expanding Reproductive Rights in Illinois”

The U.S. Census’ Impact on Federal Funding for Illinois and Municipalities

By: Ryley Bruun, Writer Topic: Finance Issue: The Financial Impact of the U.S. Census on Illinois Problem: Communities that have a low participation rate taking the U.S. Census will not receive as much financial aid from the federal government compared to communities with higher rates. This can create a vicious cycle where historically underinvested areasContinue reading “The U.S. Census’ Impact on Federal Funding for Illinois and Municipalities”

Changing Societal Norms and Culture Requires Reexamining Our History

[On race and society] By: Christopher Ryan Crisanti Published: June 21, 2020 The murder of George Floyd has provoked discussion of racism and social justice into other areas of society, such as sports and pop culture. While some contend this is inappropriate or unnecessary, the reality is that change is only possible through reshaping societalContinue reading “Changing Societal Norms and Culture Requires Reexamining Our History”

Illinois FY 2021 Budget

Revenue *P.A. 101-0008 Revenues refer to anticipated revenue effective January 1, 2021 from the adjustment of individual and corporate tax rates if SJRCA 1 is adopted by the people of Illinois.

Illinois’ Sales Tax Structure

The State’s Tax Reliance on Goods Overview The State of Illinois primarily taxes goods as opposed to services. Currently, the state taxes 17 services with 12 coming from public utilities. This narrow base is poor to adapting to changing in the economic climate because it becomes overly dependent on taxes from only a few services belonging toContinue reading “Illinois’ Sales Tax Structure”

Examining Aldermanic Menu Money

Topic: Public Management Background The city of Chicago’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) was created roughly twenty years ago via ordinance signed by then mayor Richard M. Daley. The program provides each alderman from the city’s 50 wards with a specific amount of money to use for capital improvement projects, such as sidewalk repairs, fixing streetContinue reading “Examining Aldermanic Menu Money”

Two Not-So-Complex Ideas to Help Fight Poverty and Enhance Economic Mobility

By: Christopher Ryan Crisanti [On economics] Take a trip to the loop on an average workday and you will be distraught to find many individuals who are homeless. Further, travel just fifteen minutes to our region’s many neighborhoods and you will find a similar economic prevalence, where the middle class are struggling to make endsContinue reading “Two Not-So-Complex Ideas to Help Fight Poverty and Enhance Economic Mobility”

America’s Bubble Problem

[On race and society] By: Christopher Ryan Crisanti A white woman walks her off-leash dog in a leash-mandated park. A black birdwatcher asks her to leash her dog. She calls the cops on him because she feels threatened. A black man goes on a jog in the neighborhood. Two white men suspect he may beContinue reading “America’s Bubble Problem”

Income Taxation in Illinois

The modern Illinois Constitution, adopted in 1970, sets forth a non-gradual structure where every individual pays the same base tax rate of 4.95 percent. This current rate of 4.95 percent was adopted by the General Assembly in 2017 and implemented beginning in 2018, up from the previous 3.75 percent. While different rate structures cannot beContinue reading “Income Taxation in Illinois”