Why legislators may be back in July

By Rich Miller

Illinois Senate President John Cullerton says he had a simple message for House Republican Leader Tom Cross in the waning hours of the spring legislative session: “See you in July.”As you

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, June 9,2011

Madigan wins workers’ comp battle

By Rich Miller

In all the years I’ve covered Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, he has never allowed his chamber’s Republican minority leader to best him. A minority leader might score a win here an

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, June 2,2011

Quinn is out of touch on budget

By Rich Miller

Shortly after Gov. Pat Quinn introduced a budget this year which was way out of balance, called for even higher taxes and increased state spending, the General Assembly decided to ignore him.That was

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, May 26,2011

Too much mapmaking mischief

By Rich Miller

Statehouse paranoia and angst are always at an all-time high every 10 years in Springfield.Why? The new state legislative district maps are drawn, and that highly political process always involves gen

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, May 19,2011

Corporations make Illinois pay to keep them here

By Rich Miller

With the economy the way it is, just about every state in the country is frantically scrambling to keep their local corporations from leaving, or attracting new jobs by doling out huge government ince

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, May 12,2011

How will new Chicago mayor work with Statehouse?

By Rich Miller

Rahm Emanuel will be sworn in as Chicago’s new mayor on May 16, just 15 days before the end of the state legislative session. So, while Emanuel has more than enough on his plate dealing with the

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, May 5,2011

No agreement in sight on workers’ comp reform

By Rich Miller

As if it weren’t already complicated enough to pass a workers’ compensation reform bill – what with unions, trial lawyers and the medical community so far allied together against maj

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, April 28,2011

Bill to protect sales tax havens backfires

By Rich Miller

Some big Chicago-area retailers have found a way to avoid paying high local sales taxes on their wholesale purchases. They’ve essentially set up their own “tax havens” in downstate c

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, April 21,2011

Bud brings beer wars to Springfield

By Rich Miller

Anheuser-Busch has reportedly hired more than a dozen Statehouse lobbyists this spring to protect its interests in a long-running battle to control how it distributes its brews in Illinois.The St. Lou

Politics - Rich Miller | Thursday, April 14,2011

Quinn’s uphill battle to erase the deficit

By Rich Miller

Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman seemed to be under the impression after his meeting with Gov. Pat Quinn last week that the state’s income tax hike would actually expire in four years. “The