Capital Facts

Toll and tax increase to bailout transit

Published by admin on Sat, 11/01/2025 - 12:16pm

Last May, several Illinois House Democrats complained bitterly that their mass transit negotiators were ignored and even shut-out by the Senate Democratic mass transit negotiators.
The House members had a point. The Senate passed a bill which was an almost purely Senate Democratic creation. They literally gave the House a “take it or leave it, but you have to decide right now” moment during the final minutes of the spring legislative session.

Lawmakers apprehensive about new union pick

Published by admin on Sun, 10/26/2025 - 2:59pm

At the end of the 2024 spring state legislative session, the Illinois Federation of Teachers issued a decidedly diplomatic press release.
IFT President Dan Montgomery praised the new state budget as “crucial for our state's success,” and applauded increases in K-12 and early childhood education funding.
Montgomery did criticize the “meager” increase in higher education funding and called on the state to “ensure full funding for PreK-12, higher education, and early childhood” programs now.

Illinois lawmakers address immigrant protections during veto session

Published by admin on Sat, 10/18/2025 - 2:36pm

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights held a Statehouse lobby day last week to push its far-reaching veto session agenda.
Included in the ICIRR agenda are things like putting strict limits on executing civil immigration warrants in state courthouses. That would likely be challenged in court, but there is some Common Law precedent going back to the English court system, so we’ll see. Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans recently ordered that no civil arrests could be enforced at county courthouses.

Illinois’ deficit budget about to get worse

Published by admin on Sun, 10/12/2025 - 3:24pm

The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget projected last week that the current fiscal year’s budget will run a $267 million deficit. The budget office recommended taking “immediate” action to plug the hole.
And the problem gets much worse in the future, with a $2.2 billion projected deficit for next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
So, what’s going on? Earlier last week, the legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability reported that state corporate income tax receipts are absolutely tanking this fiscal year.

Business owners spooked by workers’ comp talk

Published by admin on Sat, 10/04/2025 - 2:47pm

The announcement last week that the Illinois AFL-CIO was withdrawing from the “agreed bill process” at least forty years after its inception took almost everyone by surprise, but nobody was really shocked.
For years, whenever the group engaged in carefully constructed negotiations with business interests on workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance, labor leaders would grumble privately that most other states don’t have a similar process.

Issues behind Illinois’ big energy bill

Published by admin on Sun, 09/28/2025 - 1:04pm

One of the reasons a giant energy-related bill failed to pass the Illinois General Assembly last spring was because organized labor remained neutral. At least one union opposed the bill, but overall, the unions weren’t helping to move the ball forward - and they have a whole lot of much-needed legislative muscle.
That’s why the goal of the majority Democrats has always been to have support from unions and the major environmental groups when it comes to these big energy bills. And this one was big.

Jim Edgar had integrity, moral character

Published by admin on Sun, 09/21/2025 - 12:09pm

Jim Edgar ran a brilliant campaign for governor in 1990. He set the template for every winning statewide race since then by focusing on the importance of independent suburban women.
The Republican Edgar defeated a Catholic Democrat – Neil Hartigan –in that race, with a boost from the National Abortion Rights Action League’s endorsement. That endorsement most definitely helped him with suburban women, who were just starting to lean Democratic.

The Pritzker vs. Trump clash continues

Published by admin on Sun, 09/14/2025 - 3:30pm

Having lived through and closely covered the Bruce Rauner gubernatorial administration, I’ve been getting a strong sense of déjà vu lately as several famous “wise old men” have publicly advised Gov. JB Pritzker to call President Donald Trump and make some sort of deal that settles their disagreements.
This effort by political consultant David Axelrod and others was highlighted earlier this month when a Chicago TV reporter asked Pritzker: “Don’t you think if you maybe called [Trump], you can lower the temperature?”

Judge tosses Republican’s lawsuit

Published by admin on Sun, 09/07/2025 - 3:47pm

I’m coming a bit late to this (national current events having overtaken everything), but a lawsuit filed by House and Senate Republicans was recently tossed out by Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Jack Davis, II.
The suit sought to strike down a new law backed by trial lawyers (Senate Bill 328). The Republicans say they will appeal.
The Republican lawsuit claimed that the majority Democrats had violated the Illinois Constitution’s “three readings rule.”

These leaders know what’s best for Chicago

Published by admin on Sun, 08/31/2025 - 2:50pm

The breadth of invited attendees at the event organized last week by Gov. JB Pritzker really stood out for me.
The event along the Chicago River was designed to publicly warn President Donald Trump not to send National Guard or regular military troops into the city. The usual collection of Democratic politicians, union leaders and several anti-violence and progressive activists were on hand and several spoke.
But what made this rally seem different was the presence of people who aren't usually at these things.