Capital Facts

Belt-tightening needed for next year’s expected deficit

Published by admin on Sun, 12/03/2023 - 1:06pm

The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget released a revised state revenue and spending forecast last month for the current fiscal year and it’s pretty good. Its projections for next fiscal year, however, was not nearly as strong.
Projected Fiscal Year 2024 revenues have been revised upward by $1.4 billion, according to GOMB. However, “most of this fiscal year 2024 revenue forecast revision is assumed to be one-time in nature,” the budget office warned.
Spending has also been revised upward by $969 million, leaving a $422 million net surplus.

Compromise was missing from the Invest in Kids Act

Published by admin on Sat, 11/18/2023 - 10:41am

I don’t know whether or not the legislative Democratic leadership would’ve allowed a vote, but it is puzzling to me that the people behind the extension of the state’s Invest in Kids Act program didn’t at least try to run a bill that would’ve wound the program down over a period of years.

Legislative process gives union what it wanted

Published by admin on Fri, 11/10/2023 - 4:18pm

Last Tuesday, Nov 7th, Chicago Teachers Union lobbyist Kurt Hilgendorf told the Illinois Senate Executive Committee that the union had only “one problem” with Senate President Don Harmon’s elected Chicago school board bill.
Hilgendorf praised much of the bill during his testimony. But the Chicago Teachers Union has claimed for years that it wants a fully elected school board, just like every other school district in the state. Right now, all board members are appointed by the mayor.

Pritzker deserves credit for Stellantis deal

Published by admin on Sat, 11/04/2023 - 10:40am

I told you back in January that if Gov. JB Pritzker managed to help convince Stellantis to reopen the Belvidere auto assembly plant and even expand, “he’ll have overcome some gargantuan hurdles.”
Credit where credit is due. Pritzker helped the United Auto Workers Union and the White House put together a deal with Stellantis to reopen the shuttered plant and expand it. According to Crain’s Chicago Business, the UAW told its members the company would spend $5 billion on the project. It’s not clear as I write this how much would come from the state.

Senator Joyce’s bill makes for interesting debate

Published by admin on Mon, 10/30/2023 - 11:50am

Back in May of 2017, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson traveled to Springfield and promised a House committee that passing a criminal penalty enhancement bill he favored would drastically reduce gun crimes in his city.

Pritzker’s support for Invest in Kids tax credit may be too late

Published by admin on Sun, 10/22/2023 - 2:33pm

With his latest comments last Thursday, Gov. JB Pritzker has taken almost every possible position imaginable on the Invest in Kids Act.
During his first run for governor, Pritzker agreed with the teachers’ unions and progressive activists by calling the program “a really bad idea,” and said he opposed keeping the law on the books.
The program provides $75 million in income tax credits for those who donate to organizations that then provide scholarship money for private and parochial school students.

State allocates $500 million for migrant help, more needed

Published by admin on Sun, 10/15/2023 - 11:09am

Gov. JB Pritzker and House Speaker Chris Welch both threw cold water on the idea of a veto session supplemental appropriations bill to help Chicago handle the increasing influx of asylum-seekers from Venezuela.
Speaker Welch told reporters Thursday he had “made it clear” to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson that “we were not expecting to do a supplemental budget in the veto session,” while the governor told reporters the week before that he hadn’t heard about any plans for a supplemental. Governors always know about supplementals because their office writes them.

As migrants spread to suburbs, state needs to step up

Published by admin on Sun, 10/08/2023 - 1:52pm

I sent a top Democratic strategist who I respect a copy of the Venezuelan migrant-related poll I posted for my subscribers last week.
Among other things, the M3 Strategies poll of 659 likely Chicago voters, found that pluralities of likely Chicago voters said they opposed “migrants being housed by the city of Chicago” (49-46), while also saying it’s time to end Chicago’s status as a sanctuary city (46-39). The poll’s margin of error was +/-3.82 percent. This is a Republican pollster, but they very accurately predicted the Chicago mayor’s race results during the first round.

Manteno project by Chinese company puts Illinois Republicans on the attack

Published by admin on Sat, 09/30/2023 - 1:35pm

The Illinois Senate Republicans are amplifying complaints made earlier by the Illinois Republican Party and others about a massive economic development project in Manteno.
The ILGOP complained in a recent fundraising email about the “encroachment” of the Chinese Communist Party’s influence on the economy, then connected Gotion, Inc. to the CCP. Gotion’s American subsidiary is building a massive, $2 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Kankakee County with big help from state and local governments.

Opposite outcomings under new SAFE-T Act

Published by admin on Sun, 09/24/2023 - 2:31pm

Hannah Meisel’s recent report for Capitol News Illinois included a line that jumped out at me: “Per state law — which hasn’t been updated since 1949 — only counties with 35,000 or more residents are required to set up offices of public defender.”