Rich Miller

The Illinois legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability recently released an eye-popping actuarial analysis of a union-backed pension reform plan. The analysis concluded that the proposal, House Bill 5909, would cost taxpayers almost $30 billion through the year 2045. And the annual state cost starting in Fiscal Year 2027, which begins in mid-2026, would […]

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s longtime law firm partner Vincent “Bud” Getzendanner testified in Madigan’s defense against numerous federal charges last week. One of the main themes of Getzendanner’s testimony was the property tax firm’s process of weeding out clients and potential clients who could pose a conflict of interest to Madigan. Getzendanner testified […]

Every now and then you get a story that helps explain the Statehouse power dynamic. The saga of the “intoxicating hemp” regulation bill is one of those stories. The governor’s office began last week by handing House Speaker Chris Welch a list of 62 House Democrats who said they would vote for the hemp regulation […]

The Democratic legislative leaders and the governor agreed to squirrel away $260 million in lump-sum appropriations to various state agencies last spring. But now some groups are figuring out that a big pile of state money is just sitting there and they are trying to stake their claims. This came to light last month when […]

In the wake of Donald Trump’s national victory and his losing margin dropping to 11 points in Illinois from 17 in two prior races, state legislative Democrats here have different views on how their party should proceed. Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Lake Forest, told my associate Isabel Miller last week that Illinois Democrats have “forgotten about […]

Back in 2018, about midway through President Donald Trump’s first term, the Illinois Senate passed a bill that was designed to prevent “the weakening of Illinois environmental and labor regulations in response to a weakening of federal regulations,” according to an Illinois Environmental Council press release. Some state rules are tied directly to federal rules, […]

As usual, plenty of false claims have been made during this state legislative election cycle. But the campaign I keep going back to in my own mind is the battle in the 97th House District. The race features freshman incumbent Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, a union ironworker and a former local elected official. The Republican […]

One of the most important legislative debates next year will be about reforming, restructuring and finding a way to fund northeast Illinois’ public transportation system. Statewide taxes could possibly be raised to pay for this, so you should pay attention no matter where you live. Gov. JB Pritzker has said he’s not endorsing current legislation […]

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon continues piling up campaign money. His latest quarterly report for his personal campaign committee showed Harmon had $13.4 million in the bank, up almost $2 million from the previous quarter. His caucus committee ended with $2.6 million in the bank, up about $800,000 from the previous quarter. And his two […]

Last week, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson repeatedly slammed Statehouse legislators. “Some of the same individuals who claim to support an elected representative school board only got the gospel once I became mayor of Chicago,” Mayor Johnson told reporters during one of the most combative and counter-productive press conferences I have ever seen. No. Lori Lightfoot […]