skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Budget Reaction: Is Illinois Putting Best Foot Forward?

play audio
Play

Wednesday, July 2, 2014   

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois' 2015 state budget went into effect Tuesday without maintaining the now-temporary income tax rate, which will result in a $2 billion revenue loss.

David Lloyd, director of the Fiscal Policy Center at Voices for Illinois Children, said lawmakers tried to solve the problem by shortchanging existing obligations and borrowing funds that must eventually be paid back. He cautioned that the situation will only worsen if the General Assembly does not extend the current tax rate when lawmakers return after the election.

"A year from now, we'll be talking about a $5 billion revenue collapse and the dam will truly break," he said. "They won't be able to do these half, short-sighted measures to kind of paper over big losses in one year and make it seem like everything is all right."

The income tax increase expires in January 2015. Gov. Pat Quinn signed the budget, but is among those criticizing it for being "incomplete."

Funding for K-through-12 education remained stable in the budget, but Lloyd said it is more than $2,500 less per student than recommended levels. He added that adequate investments are needed in education and other programs crucial to job growth and prosperity.

"We need to do so much more to make sure that we have a high-quality workforce in the future, and that we're preparing kids for the jobs of the 21st century," he said. "And right now, we're really failing to do that, by really not making the investments necessary in kids."

Lloyd also warned that the economy faces severe consequences if the state does not maintain sufficient revenue.

"It really creates uncertainty for everyone," he said. "It creates uncertainty for businesses, for workers, for consumers, for investors. It's really hard to make decisions when Illinois suffers from this cloud of uncertainty regarding its finances. We're not putting our best foot forward."

Over the past couple of years, the state's backlog of unpaid bills was cut in half - down to about $4 billion. Lloyd said this budget stops that progress in its tracks and also could worsen the state's credit rating, which already is the worst in the nation.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …


Organizations fighting wage theft said it harms affected workers and surrounding communities because the money withheld is not being circulated through the local economy. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021