Archive for Illinois State Spending
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Medicaid Taking Huge Bite Out of Illinois Budget
Like many states, Illinois faces severe budget problems resulting from the economic recession. Illinois’s budget problems are made worse by the massive cost of its Medicaid program. According to the National Association of State Budget Officers, Medicaid represents approximately 30% …
Over 20% of State Police Employees Receive $100k+ Salaries
In 2008, the Illinois Dept. of State Police paid 3,520 employees a total of $266,671,219 in wages, which is fourth highest among all departments. What is more interesting is that 730 employees made over $100,000, which is 20.7% of …
A Novel Approach to Budget Planning
In the last few years, the federal government and many state governments have used a similar approach to dealing with the economic downturn: higher taxes and more government spending. Governor Quinn’s proposed tax hikes and his $31 billion Illinois Jobs …
Teachers, Unions, and Transparency
From S.T. Karnick at The American Culture:
In case you missed it, LA Times reporters Jason Felch, Jason Song and Doug Smith used California’s public records law to obtain seven years of math and English test scores from the
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Public Employee Evaluations Access
Gov. Quinn has made an amendatory veto to HB5141, which called for the exemption of all public employee performance evaluations under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The Institute argued against this bill, saying it would threaten transparency in …
Texas Model for Transparency
Yesterday the state of Texas launched its “re-branded and redesigned” Texas.gov, the state’s official website.
Now, Texans can “search for information that matters to them, perform online transactions with 24/7 assistance, use an intuitive and effective search function, …
State Plumbers making over $100,000
In 2008, the state of Illinois employed 108 plumbers, plumbing inspectors, and steamfitters who made $8,602,608 in combined total wages. Seven employees from this group made over $100,000 with another 19 taking home over $90,000. As a whole, the average …
Open Meetings and Sunshine Commission Update
Two pieces of important legislation went to the Governor’s desk today. The Open Meetings Minutes Act (HB5483) and Sunshine Commission Act (HB4836).
The Open Meetings Minutes Act, sponsored by Rep. Renée Kosel and Sen. Susan Garrett, would improve the …
Two Million Dollars for Paralegal Assistants
In 2008, the state of Illinois paid 43 paralegal assistants $1,960,000 in combined total wages. The highest paid assistant was employed by the Department of Corrections and made $59,000. Paralegal assistants were employed in eight departments throughout the state, ranging …
$8 Million for Storekeepers
In 2008, the state of Illinois employed 183 storekeepers who made $8,534,655.34 in combined total wages. The highest paid storekeeper worked for the Secretary of State and made $107,386.90, the second highest paid storekeeper made $99,310.08 working for the Department …
