Tag: illinois

  • Illinois voters reject constitutional amendment to allow for a graduated income tax

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    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   The ballot measure would have repealed the state's constitutional requirement that the state's personal income tax is a flat rate across income.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…

  • Illinois Supreme Court decides case allowing suspended police officers to seek backpay

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    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…

  • Illinois Gov. Pritzker and Citadel CEO Griffin are funding the campaigns surrounding the state’s graduated income tax ballot measure

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    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…

  • More than $80 million raised by campaigns surrounding Illinois graduated tax amendment

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    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…

  • Illinois Gov. Pritzker has contributed $56.5 million to campaign behind graduate income tax ballot measure

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    Through June 30, 2020, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) contributed $56.5 million to the campaign Vote Yes For Fairness. The campaign is backing a ballot measure to repeal the state's constitutional requirement that the state personal income tax be a flat rate. It would, instead, allow the state to enact legislation for a graduated income…

  • Illinois House deputy majority leader resigns

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    Arthur Turner II (D), formerly the Deputy Majority Leader in the Illinois House of Representatives, resigned on July 3. He had represented the 9th District in the chamber since 2011. Turner’s father, Arthur Turner, previously held the seat from 1981 until his son took office. Turner did not file for re-election this year. Lakesia Collins…

  • Policing issues in the most recent Minneapolis and Chicago mayoral races

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    Two recently elected mayors of major midwestern metropolises are facing similar challenges in reaction to the killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd by city police last month. Like many big American cities, large demonstrations have occurred in both Minneapolis and Chicago to protest both the death of Floyd specifically and the behavior of police in…

  • Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to self-quarantine after staff member tests positive for coronavirus

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    On May, 11, 2020, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) announced that he and members of his office would self-quarantine after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 last week. All senior members of Pritzker’s staff have tested negative for the virus. Pritzker received a test Sunday, May 10, which also came back negative. Ballotpedia tracks…

  • Illinois Supreme Court rules fantasy sports a game of skill, not chance

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    In April 2016, Illinois residents Colin Dew-Becker and Andrew Wu competed in a fantasy sports contest hosted by the website FanDuel. They each paid a total of $109: a $100 wager and a $9 fee to the company. Wu defeated Dew-Becker, and three days later Dew-Becker invoked an 1819 law called The Loss Recovery Act…