The General Assembly Retirement System (GARS) was established in 1947 to provide lawmakers and certain members of the executive branch with a mechanism to save for retirement. Like Illinois’ other four state‑run pension systems, GARS is structured as a defined benefit plan, offering guaranteed lifetime pensions based on salary and years of service. Because theContinue reading “The State Pension Fund with the lowest funded ratio: GARS”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
U of I Flash Index continues to trend upward
The University of Illinois’ Flash Index, a measure of the overall performance of the Illinois economy, recently reported an increase for the second month in a row in June. The Flash index is “the weighted average of Illinois growth rates in corporate earnings, consumer spending, and personal income as estimated from receipts for corporate income,Continue reading “U of I Flash Index continues to trend upward”
Memorial Day Weekend Gas Tracker
The average price for gas in the United States is currently above $4.50, with some states posting higher amounts than others. This has been the highest recorded since the summer of 2022. Here in Illinois, gas prices are on the higher end – nearly approaching $5.00 on average. However, because most of the population inContinue reading “Memorial Day Weekend Gas Tracker “
The enigma of high prices and consumer spending
A recent report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that prices increased 0.6 percent in the month of April, mainly due to oil supply disruptions from the War in Iran. At that pace, prices are expected to increase by about 3.8 percent annually. The growing concern isn’t just how high prices (especially gasContinue reading “The enigma of high prices and consumer spending”
April economic numbers for the Illinois economy
The University of Illinois’ Flash Index, a measure of the overall performance of the Illinois economy, recently reported a decline for the fourth month in a row. The Flash index is “the weighted average of Illinois growth rates in corporate earnings, consumer spending, and personal income as estimated from receipts for corporate income, individual income,Continue reading “April economic numbers for the Illinois economy”
Why Run for Office
[The following was originally published on 9/9/19 and then updated 8/29/2022] By: Lou Gale I’m not sure who said it, but democracy is not a spectator sport. A similar sentiment was more eloquently said by Teddy Roosevelt, who said that the average citizen must be a good citizen if our republic is to succeed. Continue reading “Why Run for Office”
Programming Alert
We will be taking some vacation time off here at Prairie State Policy and will return recharged in a couple of weeks to bring you more content. In the meantime, feel free to drop us an email on what policy issues concern you and what issues you would like us to write about. See youContinue reading “Programming Alert”
Plan established to help replace lead pipes
This is a follow-up to a post titled, “Municipalities will need to (eventually) invest in aging water lines.” You can read about it here. The Spring 2021 legislative session is rounding up and lawmakers have addressed the state’s lead pipe issue by passing legislation requiring water utilities to replace lead service lines while also creating aContinue reading “Plan established to help replace lead pipes”
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”
What is Home Rule?
Background The concept of home rule was first adopted in Article VII, Section 6 of the Illinois Constitution of 1970 to give units of local government greater power to pursue, implement, and administer its own policy initiatives, rather than the intervention of the state’s interests and power. Specifically, it allows municipalities of populations greater than 25,000 toContinue reading “What is Home Rule?”
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