Tag: illinois
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Heather Steans resigns from Illinois State Senate
Sen. Heather Steans (D) resigned from the Illinois state Senate on Jan. 31. She represented District 7 from 2008 to 2021. Steans ran uncontested for re-election on Nov. 3, 2020. According to ABC 7, Steans said she was resigning because “it’s time for fresh faces and new energy…I’ve benefited tremendously from the many perspectives of…
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Manar resigns from Illinois state Senate
On Jan. 17, Illinois state Sen. Andy Manar (D) resigned to become a senior advisor to Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D). He will provide counsel on the state’s economy and plans for the COVID-19 recovery. In Illinois, vacancies in the state Senate are filled within 30 days by appointment by the political party that last held…
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Elections in New York’s 22nd and Iowa’s 2nd set to have narrower margins of victory than any 2018 Congressional race
As of December 9, the results of two U.S. House elections remain uncertain. The election in New York’s 22nd Congressional District is too close to call amid an ongoing legal challenge surrounding partial recounts. In Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) was certified as the winner by state election officials as winning by a…
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Robert Carter fills vacancy on Illinois Supreme Court
Robert L. Carter became a justice of the Illinois Supreme Court on December 8, 2020. Carter was nominated to the court on November 10 to replace former Justice Thomas Kilbride, who lost the seat after failing to meet the 60% vote threshold required by Illinois law for judges to remain on the bench. Kilbride received…
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Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois decide ballot measures regarding state income taxes
Voters in 12 states voted on 19 ballot measures addressing tax-related policies on Nov. 3. Ten of the measures addressed taxes on properties, three were related to income tax rates, two addressed tobacco taxes, one addressed business-related taxes, one addressed sales tax rates, one addressed fees and surcharges, and one was related to tax-increment financing…
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Rodney Davis elected to fifth term in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District
Incumbent Rodney Davis (R) defeated challenger Betsy Londrigan (D) in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, winning a fifth term in the U.S. House. The race was one of 56 U.S. House rematches taking place this year; Londrigan was Davis’ challenger in 2018 as well. That year, he won 51% to 50%, down from 60% to 40%…
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Illinois voters reject constitutional amendment to allow for a graduated income tax
Illinois voters rejected a constitutional amendment to allow for a graduated income tax by a vote of 55% against to 45% in favor. The ballot measure would have repealed the state’s constitutional requirement that the state’s personal income tax is a flat rate across income. Instead, the ballot measure would have allowed the state to enact legislation for…
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Illinois Supreme Court decides case allowing suspended police officers to seek backpay
On October 22, 2020, the Illinois Supreme Court decided Goral v. Dart, a case on police officers’ right to due process to claim backpay. The case concerned a decision regarding the legitimacy of Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s Merit Board. The Illinois Supreme Court upheld an appellate court’s decision which determined that officers suspended without…
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Illinois Gov. Pritzker and Citadel CEO Griffin are funding the campaigns surrounding the state’s graduated income tax ballot measure
Over $107 million has been raised for and against a constitutional amendment that would allow for a graduated income tax in Illinois. On November 3, voters will decide the constitutional amendment, which wouldn’t require a graduated income tax itself. Rather, the amendment would repeal the state constitution’s requirement that the state personal income tax is…
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More than $80 million raised by campaigns surrounding Illinois graduated tax amendment
There is one state constitutional amendment on the ballot in Illinois for November 3, 2020. The constitutional amendment would repeal the requirement that the state’s personal income tax is a flat rate across income. Instead, the amendment would allow for legislation to enact a graduated income tax. Contributions to the campaigns surrounding the amendment have…