The future of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program is uncertain under the Trump Administration, but eliminating the program would bring negative consequences to Illinois’ workers and economy. Continue reading “The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Benefits the Illinois Economy”
Eliminating the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program would Hurt Students, Low-Income Families, and the Illinois Economy. Continue reading “Federal Tax Cuts Would Put Billionaires Ahead of Working Families”
FEDERAL BUDGET CUTS THREATEN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME FAMILIES IN ILLINOIS Trump Administration’s proposal to eliminate Community Development Block Grants and Public Service Loan Forgiveness program would hurt economy and adversely impact 500,000 state residents each year. La Grange: The Trump Administration’s proposal to … Continue reading Tax Plan Could Threaten Illinois’ Most Vulnerable Residents, New Studies Show
Dear Friend: If a politician told you that a pay cut would increase your income, would you believe it? Of course not. But this is precisely the type of fact-free assertion that special interests promote– often with millions of dollars– … Continue reading Fight Back With Us
The Fall 2017 Edition of ILEPI’s newsletter, Illinois Insights, has been released. Continue reading “Illinois Insights – Fall 2017 Edition”
Economic development subsidies should create jobs, increase wages, and promote positive economic growth, but these goals do not consistently prevail. Continue reading “Reforms Needed to Ensure Accountability in Economic Development Subsidies”
A recent report by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (PMCR) assesses the positive economic impacts of public universities and colleges in Illinois and measures the costs of the two-year budget impasse. Continue reading “Public Universities and Community Colleges Boost the Illinois Economy by $16 Billion Every Year”
Illinois has spent at least $4.9 billion in state and local business subsidies since 2000, after adjusting for inflation. This equates to $288.5 million per year. While these subsidies have saved or created some jobs in the state, Illinois could have created even more jobs and more economic growth if tax dollars had instead been invested in public infrastructure and public education.
Continue reading “Tax Dollars Should Be Spent on Broad-Based Investments, Not Corporate Subsidies”
NEW STUDY DOCUMENTS HARMFUL IMPACT OF BUDGET STALEMATE ON ILLINOIS’ PUBLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES Two-Year Impasse Led to Reduced Enrollment, Layoffs, and Tuition Hikes Chicago: The two-year Illinois budget stalemate reduced enrollment in the state’s public colleges and universities by … Continue reading Illinois Public Universities Were Harmed by State Budget Impasse
Subsidies play a prominent role in economic development policy at both the state and local levels in Illinois, yet subsidy policies continue to lack the strict scrutiny they deserve. Continue reading “Economic Development Subsidies Not Consistent with Socio-Economic Needs”
Since 1985, state and local governments in Illinois have doled out at least $5 billion in economic development subsidies. In particular, three companies have received over $900 million from Illinois taxpayers: Sears, Mitsubishi Motors, and Motorola. In these three cases, employment eventually fell and plants even closed despite the massive amounts of money provided. Continue reading “Illinois Has Doled Out $5 Billion in Corporate Subsidies Since 1985”
Straight out of college, men working full time earn higher incomes than women working full-time in Illinois. When incomes are evaluated by field of degree, the gender gap persists in most areas of study but disappears in science and education. Continue reading “Recent Female College Graduates Earn Less than Their Male Counterparts in Illinois, With Important Exceptions”
The Illinois Update 