Economist Ralph Martire on the
State's Budget Deficit and
Comptroller Dan Hynes on the
State's "Leadership Deficit"
|
|

|
From Southern Illinois University in Carbondale:
Economist Ralph Martire remarks
on Illinois' troubled economy. We then hear a speech by Comptroller
Dan Hynes (D), who says the state lacks leadership by the
Governor to address its fiscal problems.
Video Courtesy of
WSIU TV, Carbondale.
Recorded April 23,
2008.
Aired the week of May 12, 2008. 25 minutes. |
The Impact of Unfunded State
Mandates on City Pensions |
|

|
From the
State Capitol in Springfield: Illinois
mayors tell reporters why the financial stability of local
firefighter and police pensions are threatened by state mandates.
The mayors also discuss how the growth of municipal pension payments
is already impacting their cities' abilities to provide other
municipal services.
Recorded March 6,
2008.
Aired the week of March 31, 2008. 45 minutes. |
Gov. Blagojevich's FY 2009
Budget Address
This program is
archived. Click on the photo to view via video-stream. |
|

|
From
the State Capitol in Springfield:
Governor Rod Blagojevich delivers his
Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Address. This is the Governor's
blueprint for funding state government from July 2008 through June
2009.
For a brief overview of the proposed
budget,
click here.
To read a .pdf version of the Budget
Address,
click here.
Recorded February 20, 2008.
Aired the week of February 25, 2008. 25 minutes. |
Reaction to the Governor's FY
2009 Budget Address |
|

|
From the State Capitol in Springfield:
following the Governor's Budget Address,
lawmakers and others offered their reaction to the proposed budget.
Recorded February 20, 2008.
Aired the week of February 25, 2008. 1 hour. |
Gambling as a Source of
Government Revenue |
|

|
From the Union League Club of Chicago:
a panel examines the issues involved in using gambling as a source
of government revenue. How viable is gambling as a consistent
source of revenue, and is it moral? As Illinois state
government is considering an expansion of gambling, we hear more on
this key issue from lawmakers, business leaders, and ministers.
Recorded December 4,
2007. Aired the week of January 14, 2008. 35 minutes. |
The Future of the Property Tax |
|

|
From the Union League Club of Chicago:
we hear a presentation by Dr. Paul
Courant, author and lecturer on tax policy, as he addresses the
future of the property tax and what impact this may have on
education funding and economic development.
Recorded November 30,
2007. Aired the week of January 7, 2008. 20 minutes. |
Property Tax Reform in
Illinois |
|

|
From the Union League Club of
Chicago:
State Senator Chris Lauzen, Economist
Fred Giertz, and Ralph Martire of the Center for Tax and Budget
Accountability talk about what options might be used to reform
Illinois' property tax system, as well as the impact such reforms
would have on schools, homeowners, and businesses.
Recorded November 30, 2007.
Aired the week of December 10, 2007. 1 hour. |
Tax Policies and Election
Politics
|
|

|
From Springfield:
Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform, discusses
tax policies he believes political parties should pursue and what
voters should consider when choosing a presidential candidate.
We also hear comments from Illinois House Republican Leader Tom
Cross.
Recorded September 24, 2007.
Aired the week of October 1, 2007. 30 minutes. |
Former State Senator Steve
Rauschenberger:
Illinois State Budget Issues |
|

|
From Chicago:
Jeff Berkowitz, producer of Public Affairs, interviews former Illinois state senator Steve Rauschenberger,
a noted expert on the state budget.
They discuss the process and politics that created the longest
legislative session in history before finally passing a state
budget.
Recorded August 28, 2007.
Aired the week of September 24, 2007. 30 minutes. |
Fiscal Year 2008 State Budget
Negotiations |
|

|
From the State Capitol in
Springfield: our one-on-one interviews
with lawmakers who tell us about the policy divisions that have kept
the legislature from passing a new state budget. We also hear
from Dan Long, Executive Director of the Commission on Government
Forecasting & Accountability, who tells us how much new money is
coming into the state budget from the growth of the economy.
Recorded July 18, 2007.
Aired the week of July 23, 2007. 35 minutes. |
Fixing Illinois' Financial Future |
|

|
From
the Union League Club of Chicago:
Illinois' Chief Operating Officer John Filan, Comptroller Dan Hynes,
and others participate in a panel discussion on the state of
Illinois' financial problems and possible solutions. This
panel was held during the annual meeting of the League of Women
Voters of Illinois. During this meeting, the Union League
Club's Public Affairs Committee also received the Civic
Contribution Award from the League of Women Voters.
Recorded April 24, 2007.
Aired the week of May 21, 2007. 1 hour. |
State Government's Unfunded
Liabilities and Commitments
|
|

|
From
Springfield: R. Eden Martin, President of the Commercial
Club of Chicago's Civic Committee, discusses the Illinois State
Budget, pensions, state revenues, and taxing policies. Mr.
Martin is one of the principle authors of a recent report on the
state's finances; a report that House Speaker Michael Madigan has
publicly applauded on several occasions.
Recorded April 16,
2007. Aired the week of May 7, 2007. 1 hour. |
Senate Testimony from Those
Favoring the Gross Receipts Tax
|
|

|
From the State Capitol in
Springfield: a joint committee hearing
between the Senate Education and Senate Revenue Committees, in which
Senators hear testimony on the Governor’s proposed Gross Receipts
Tax (GRT). The tax would be based on a business’ top line -
revenues - instead of its profit, as is the case under current law.
During this hour of testimony, Senators hear from those supporting
passage of the GRT.
Recorded April 18, 2007.
Aired the week of April 30, 2007. 1 hour. |
Senate Testimony from Those
Opposing the Gross Receipts Tax
|
|

|
From the State Capitol in
Springfield: in this second hour of testimony before
the joint committee hearing of the Senate Education and Senate
Revenue Committees, Senators hear from those opposed to
the Governor’s proposed Gross Receipts Tax (GRT). Among those
testifying against the GRT are small businessmen, who say the GRT
would drive them out of business.
Recorded April 18,
2007. Aired the week of April 30, 2007. 1 hour. |
The Governor's Gross Receipts Tax
and Spending Proposals
|
|

|
From the City Club of Chicago: John Filan, Chief Operating
Officer of the State of Illinois, talks about the administration's
plans to create a Gross Receipts Tax, lease the lottery, require
healthcare coverage for every worker in Illinois, and pay down the
pension debt.
Recorded March 19, 2007.
Aired the week of April 2, 2007. 55 minutes. |
Gross Receipts Tax, Borrowing,
and Pensions
|
|

|
From Springfield: Senator Christine Radogno, one of the
leading Republican spokespersons on the state budget, discusses the
Governor's proposals to create a Gross Receipts Tax, borrow money to
pay down the pension debt, and lease the lottery.
Recorded March 20, 2007.
Aired the week of March 26, 2007. 35 minutes. |
Rally for Increasing
Transportation Funding
|
|

|
From the State Capitol in Springfield:
noting the lack of a Capital Spending
Bill for the last three years, business groups, labor organizations,
and lawmakers rally on behalf of a legislative effort to spend $25
billion over the next five years to improve Illinois' transportation
infrastructure.
Recorded March 14, 2007.
Aired the week of March 19, 2007. 40 minutes. |
Reforming the Budget Process
|
|

|
From Press Briefing Room at the State Capitol:
Senate Republicans discuss their proposals to reform the budget
process to increase both accountability and transparency.
These proposals come in the wake of past years when the state budget
would be passed just hours after it arrived on legislators' desks
and after budgets were found to contain millions of dollars in
undesignated funds.
Recorded March 8,
2007. Aired the week of March 19, 2007. 15 minutes. |
Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Address |
|

|
From the House Chamber at the State Capitol in Springfield:
Governor Rod Blagojevich offers his
budget plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007. In
this speech, the Governor lays out four major proposals: a plan to
require healthcare coverage for all citizens; a plan to borrow $16
billion from the sale of bonds; the largest increase in educational
funding; and a Gross Receipts Tax, which would tax businesses'
revenues instead of their profits.
Click here to read a .pdf version of the Governor's Budget Address.
Recorded March 7,
2007. Aired the week of March 12, 2007. 35 minutes. |
Legislative Reaction to the Governor's
Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Address
|
|


|
From the State Capitol in Springfield:
members of the legislature and others offer their reaction to the
Governor's budget plan.
Recorded March 7,
2007. Aired the week of March 12, 2007. 50 minutes. |
The Business Community's Reaction to the Governor's
Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Address |
|

|
From the Press Briefing Room at the State Capitol:
leaders in the Illinois business community share their reaction to
the Governor's proposal to tax businesses' revenues instead of
profits. They also respond
to the Governor's statements that businesses are not paying their
fair share of tax revenues.
Recorded March 7,
2007. Aired the week of March 12, 2007. 30 minutes. |
Taxes, Public Spending, and
the Illinois Business Climate
|
|

|
From Springfield:
our one-on-one conversation with former gubernatorial candidate Ron
Gidwitz and Illinois Manufacturers' Association President Greg Baise.
We hear about their efforts to build public support against wasteful
government spending and their assessment of the overall business
climate in Illinois.
Recorded March 1,
2007. Aired the week of March 5, 2007. 35 minutes. |
The State Budget, Pensions,
and Tax Structure
|
|

|
From the Sangamo Club in Springfield: a discussion of the
Illinois State Budget, its pension problems, and whether the state
suffers from what some call a "structural deficit." This
discussion is led by Professor Fred Giertz of the University of
Illinois' Institute of Government and Public Affairs.
This program is underwritten in part by
the Center for State Policy &
Leadership at the University of Illinois at Springfield and the
Institute of Government & Public
Affairs at the University of Illinois.
Recorded February 6,
2007. Aired the week of February 19, 2007. 1 hour. |
Funding Education, Pensions,
and Property Tax Relief
|
|

|
From the Press Briefing Room at the State Capitol:
Senator James Meeks (D) introduces legislation which he
says will address school under-funding, put additional funds into
the state's ailing pension systems, and offer property tax relief.
Recorded February 8,
2007. Aired the week of February 12, 2007. 35 minutes. |
Spending and Tax Problems in
Illinois' State Budget
|
|

|
From the Union League Club in Chicago:
a panel discussion on the economic challenges facing Illinois state
government this year, as it attempts to produce a balanced state
budget. We hear from John Filan, Chief Operating Officer of
the State of Illinois; Ralph Martire, Executive Director of the
Center for Tax and Budget Accountability; and former Senator Steve
Rauschenberger.
Recorded January 30,
2007. Aired the week of February 12, 2007. 1 hour. |
Illinois' Economy and Financial
Health
|
|

|
From the Union League Club of Chicago:
educators, budget analysts, and civic
leaders discuss the state's growing financial problems of unfunded
pensions, rising healthcare costs, and its tax structure. We
hear from Southern Illinois University's Mike Lawrence and then from
a panel moderated by Chicago Journalist Carol Marin.
Recorded January 17, 2007.
Aired the week of January 29, 2007. 1 hour & 15 minutes. |
Building Big Success in Small
Towns
This program is
archived. Click on the photo to view via video-stream.
|
|

|
From Springfield:
our one-on-one conversation with
Jack Schultz, author of "Boomtown USA: The 7 1/2 Keys to Building
Big Success in Small Towns." Mr. Schultz, who is also the
President of Agracel in Effingham, says his travels across America
uncovered common patterns followed by economically successful
communities.
Recorded December 5,
2006.
Aired the week of January 1, 2007. 35 minutes. |
State of Illinois' Economic
Health |
|

|
From Springfield:
our one-on-one interview with State Comptroller Dan Hynes.
Comptroller Hynes discusses the state's backlog of bills and why he
feels the state is operating with a $3 billion debt, while others
say the budget is balanced. He also talks about problems
plaguing the state's taxing structure that have led some to say the
state is now operating with a "structural deficit."
Recorded November 29,
2006. Aired the week of December 4, 2006. 30 minutes. |
Illinois' Pension Debt and Tax
Structure |
|

|
From the State Capitol in Springfield:
Economist Ralph Martire discusses his recent study which examined
the growing debt of the state's pension systems and why he says the
state needs to restructure its taxing system to meet the growth in
the cost of state government.
Recorded November 28,
2006.
Aired the week of December 4, 2006. 10 minutes. |
Implications of Extending the
Electric Rate Freeze |
|

|
From the State Capitol in Springfield:
Scott Cisel, President of Ameren Illinois,
explains the impact on Ameren should the
ten-year-old electric rate freeze be extended and notes Moody's has
already downgraded Ameren's credit worthiness.
Recorded November 14,
2006.
Aired the week of November 20, 2006. 25 minutes. |
Funding Status of State and
Local Pensions |
|


|
From Springfield:
the U.S. House of Representatives holds a hearing at the Illinois
State Capitol to discuss the financial status of publicly funded
pensions. Among those testifying are Economist J. Fred Giertz
of the University of Illinois and Illinois State Budget Director
John Filan.
Recorded August 30,
2006. Aired the week of September 25, 2006. 1 hour & 15 minutes. |
The Looming Crisis in
Medicare, Social Security, and the Budget
This program is
archived. Click on the photo to view via video-stream. |
|

|
From the Union League Club of Chicago: David Walker,
Comptroller General of the United States, and Robert Bixby,
Executive Director of the Concord Coalition, discuss the looming
funding crisis in the Federal Budget. We hear details on how
the unfunded obligations in Medicare and Social Security threaten to
overwhelm the government's ability to meet those obligations and
fund other functions of government.
Recorded August 24, 2006.
Aired the week of September 4, 2006. 1 hour. |
Regional Perspective on the
Illinois Economy |
|

|
From the Governor's Mansion in
Springfield:
an encore presentation of our interview with
James Roolf, President of the Joliet Banking Center, who shares his
insights into how the Illinois economy is doing in Will County and
what actions state government and Illinois businesses can take to
improve the Illinois business climate. This was taped at a
day-long Economic Summit hosted by the Illinois Coalition for Jobs,
Growth & Prosperity.
Recorded May 24, 2006.
Re-aired the week of August 14, 2006. 10 minutes. |
Economic Activity in the St.
Louis Region |
|

|
From the Governor's Mansion in
Springfield:
Christopher Wheeler, Regional Economist with the St. Louis Federal
Reserve, shares data showing regional economic activity in the St.
Louis metro area, including Madison & St. Clair Counties in
Illinois. This lecture was part of a day-long Economic Summit
hosted by the Illinois Coalition for Jobs, Growth & Prosperity.
Recorded May 24, 2006.
Aired the week of August 7, 2006. 35 minutes. |
Economic Future of Illinois'
Horse Industry |
|

|
From Springfield:
leading members of the Illinois horse breeders and racing interests
discuss why they say the Illinois horse racing industry is facing a
crisis. They also discuss recently passed legislation that
requires casinos to pay into a Horse Racing Trust Fund, legislation
that is now being challenged in the courts.
Recorded July 25, 2006.
Aired the week of July 31, 2006. 35 minutes. |
Blagojevich Administration's
Economic Policies |
|

|
From Chicago:
Jack Lavin, Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity, discusses the Blagojevich Administration's
approach to developing the Illinois economy.
Recorded June 22, 2006.
Aired the week of July 17, 2006. 45 minutes. |
The Effect of Education on
Illinois Businesses |
|

|
From the Governor's Mansion in
Springfield: Jeff Mays, President of the Illinois Business
Roundtable, discusses Illinois' ability to remain economically
competitive and whether our state's educational standards are
undermining Illinois businesses as in their effort to compete with
firms overseas. This presentation was part of a day-long Economic
Summit hosted by the Illinois Coalition for Jobs, Growth &
Prosperity.
Recorded May 24, 2006.
Aired the week of July 10, 2006. 25 minutes. |
Assessing the Chicagoland
Economy |
|

|
From the Governor's Mansion in Springfield:
William Testa, Vice President & Director of Regional Programs for
the Federal Reserve Bank, discusses the health of the Chicagoland
economy. Mr. Testa made his remarks before a gathering of
business leaders attending a day-long Economic Summit hosted by the
Illinois Coalition for Jobs, Growth & Prosperity.
Recorded May 24, 2006.
Aired the week of July 3, 2006. 40 minutes. |
Illinois Jobs |
|

|
From the Governor's Mansion in Springfield:
University of Illinois Economist Fred Giertz shares his data into
recent trends in job creation in Illinois. This discussion was
part of a day-long Economic Summit hosted by the Illinois Coalition
for Jobs, Growth & Prosperity.
Recorded May 24, 2006.
Aired the week of June 26, 2006. 45 minutes. |
Business Conditions in
Illinois |
|

|
From the Governor's Mansion in
Springfield: following Professor Giertz's
presentation, John Lewis of Northern Illinois University discussed
the cost of doing business in Illinois.
Recorded May 24, 2006.
Aired the week of June 26, 2006. 45 minutes. |
The Economics of Immigration |
|

|
From Chicago:
Jeff Berkowitz, Producer of Public Affairs, discusses the
economics of legal and illegal immigration. His guests are
economists Dr. Barry Chiswick, of the University of Illinois at
Chicago and Dr. Hoyt Bleakley, of the University of Chicago.
Recorded May 16, 2006.
Aired the week of June 19, 2006. 30 minutes. |
Jobs and Personal Income
Trends in Illinois |
|

|
From the Governor's Mansion in Springfield:
Economist Ralph Martire, Executive Director of the Center for Tax
and Budget Accountability, presents his research into job growth and
trends in personal income in Illinois. This presentation was
part of a day-long Economic Summit sponsored by the Illinois
Coalition for Jobs, Growth and Prosperity.
Recorded May 24,
2006.
Aired the week of June 5, 2006. 30 minutes. |
Regional Perspective on the
Illinois Economy |
|

|
From the Governor's Mansion in
Springfield:
James Roolf, President of the Joliet Banking Center, shares his
insights into how the Illinois economy is doing in Will County and
what actions state government and Illinois businesses can take to
improve the Illinois business climate.
Recorded May 24, 2006.
Aired the week of May 29, 2006. 10 minutes. |
Creating a Budget Review
Period |
|

|
From the State Capitol in Springfield: the state
budget is generally the last piece of business in the legislature's
Spring session. Members may get the printed budget just an hour
before they vote on it. Here, State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka briefs
reporters on her proposal that would ensure legislators and the
public have at least seven days to review the state budget before a
final vote.
Recorded May 2, 2006.
Aired the week of May 8, 2006. 15 minutes. |
Illinois State Budget |
|

|
From the State Capitol in
Springfield: lawmakers and Budget Director John Filan discuss
the budget process and their thoughts on this year's $56 billion
budget. They talk about what happens next year when the state will
have to resume making its pension payments.
Recorded May 3, 2006.
Aired the week of May 8, 2006. 30 minutes. |
Governor Pushes Passage of Capital Spending Bill |
|

|
From Rochester High School in Rochester:
Governor Blagojevich campaigns for passage of his $3.2 billion
capital spending bill. If approved by the legislature, the
bill would fund building projects such as roads and schools.
Recorded March 6,
2006. Aired the week of March 13, 2006. 20 minutes. |
Diverting Dedicated Funds for
General Operations |
|

|
From the State Capitol in Springfield:
Republican lawmakers hold a press
conference to discuss the Blagojevich Administration's diverting
money from special funds to cover the cost of general operations.
The Republicans claim more than $1.2 billion has been diverted from
dedicated funds since 2004.
Recorded February 21,
2006. Aired the week of February 27, 2006. 15 minutes. |
Fiscal Year 2007 Budget
Address |
|

|
From the State Capitol in Springfield:
Governor Rod Blagojevich delivers his fourth Budget Address.
For the Fiscal Year 2007 budget, the Governor calls for some $45
billion in operating expenses and additional billions for capital
projects. The Fiscal Year 2007 budget covers July 1, 2006
through June 30, 2007.
Click here to access the Governor's PowerPoint Presentation
illustrating the Fiscal Year 2007 budget.
Recorded February 15,
2006. Aired the week of February 20, 2006. 40 minutes. |
Reactions to the Governor's
Fiscal Year 2007 Budget |
|


|
From the State Capitol in Springfield: we hear
reaction to the Governor's budget from legislators and several
gubernatorial candidates.
Recorded February 15,
2006. Aired the week of February 20, 2006. 50 minutes. |
Pensions and the State Budget
|
|

|
From Springfield:
a panel discussion on the growth of the state's pension costs and
its impact on the Illinois state budget. As noted in the
program, by most accounts, Illinois is now last in the nation in
terms of meeting its pension funding obligations. We hear
possible solutions and whether the funding of pensions may mean
cutting back on other services.
This program is
sponsored by the Institute of Government & Public Affairs at the
University of Illinois and the Center for State Policy & Leadership
at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Recorded February 6,
2006. Aired the week of February 13, 2006. 1 hour. |
America's Unfunded Pension
Systems
|
|

|
From Washington, DC: Comptroller General David
Walker discusses the mounting accumulative debt in America's public
pension systems. Among the pension systems without adequate
funding to meet future obligations are Social Security, the Military
Retirement System, and the Federal Civil Service Retirement System.
Recorded January 19,
2006. Aired the week of February 6, 2006. 10 minutes. |
Government's Handling of the
Illinois Economy
|
|

|
From the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago: Mike
Lawrence, Director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute,
comments on the economic challenges facing Illinois and the job
Governor Blagojevich and legislators have done to meet those
challenges. This address was part of the 5th Annual Fiscal
Symposium held by the Center for Tax & Budget Accountability.
Recorded January 17,
2006. Aired the week of January 30, 2006. 15 minutes. |
The Promises and Pitfalls of
Gaming
|
|

|
From the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington:
a discussion on the promises and pitfalls of state revenue derived
from gaming. The panel of speakers and members of the
audience consist of legislators and others from around the country
who share their thoughts on the morality and dependability of
funding state services with income from gaming.
Recorded August 17,
2005. Aired the week of January 16, 2006. 1 hour and 20 minutes. |
Globalization and the Illinois
Economy
|
|

|
From Knox College in Galesburg: a speech examining
the impact of globalization on the Illinois economy. We hear
from former Chicago Tribune reporter Richard Longworth, who now
works with the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations.
Recorded March 31,
2005. Aired the week of January 16, 2006. 35 minutes. |
Making Chicago a Global
Financial Center |
|

|
From Chicago: three of Chicago's financial leaders discuss
the effort to make Chicago a global financial center. We hear
comments from the Chairmen of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the
Chicago Board of Trade, and the Chicago Board Options Exchange.
Recorded November 30,
2005. Aired the week of December 25, 2005. 50 minutes. |
Auditor General's Review of
Central Management Services |
|

|
From Springfield:
the Legislative Audit
Commission hears testimony from the Illinois Auditor General’s
office and from Central Management Services (CMS). This
testimony regards an October report, issued by Auditor General
William Holland, critical of CMS’s efforts to improve operations
after a Spring audit showed multiple inefficiencies.
Recorded November 2,
2005. Aired the week of November 6, 2005. 2 hours. |
Tax Reform |
|

|
From Chicago:
Grover Norquist, President of Americans for
Tax Reform, discusses the politics and policy options behind
Washington’s effort to reform the tax code.
Recorded October 11,
2005. Aired the week of October 23, 2005. 15 minutes. |
Tourism's
Impact on the Illinois Economy
|
|

|
From
Rockford:
Illinois tourism officials hear a briefing on Illinois' efforts to
draw more tourists to the state and how much tourism adds to the
state's economy. This briefing was held during the annual
Visit Illinois conference.
Recorded July 29, 2005.
Aired the week of August 21, 2005. 20 minutes. |
$54 Billion Fiscal Year 2006
State Budget |
|

|
From Springfield: the Illinois
legislature wrapped up its Spring session on May 31st. One of the more controversial elements of the
Fiscal Year 2006 Budget, which begins July 1st, is what is called a
"Pension Holiday." Over the next several years, the
legislature decided to delay paying billions into the state
government workers pension system.
We get reactions from State Treasurer Judy Baar
Topinka, Budget Director John Filan, and Senators Steve
Rauschenberger (R) and Kwame Raoul (D).
Recorded May 31, 2005.
Aired the week of June 5, 2005. 30 minutes. |
Illinois State Chamber of
Commerce v. John Filan |
|

|
From the
State Supreme Court in Springfield:
the case of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce v. John Filan.
As compared to general taxes, which finance general
government operations, government fees are imposed to finance
specific government operations. Such fees may include
drivers or fishing licenses. In this case, the Illinois
Chamber
brought suit against State Budget Director John Filan, alleging that
certain business fees were raised far in excess of the amount needed
to fund
a
specific government service.
Recorded May 19, 2005.
Aired the week of May 29, 2005. 57 minutes. |
Sen. Frank Watson (R) on the
Budget & Medical Malpractice |
|

|
From Springfield: Senate Minority
Leader Frank Watson appears as a guest on WFMB's morning radio
program, hosted by Sam Madonia and Jeff Hofmann. Senator
Watson comments on and takes listeners' questions concerning the
state budget, online pharmaceutical sales, and next year's race for
Governor.
Recorded May 17, 2005.
Aired the week of May 22, 2005. 45 minutes. |
Senator Emil Jones (D) on Budget
Negotiations |
|

|
From Springfield: at a luncheon
co-hosted by the Illinois Manufacturers' Association and the
Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Senate President Emil Jones comments on budget negotiations being held
between the party leaders and Governor Blagojevich. Following
his remarks, we hear from businessman Glen Johnson, who currently
heads the Illinois Manufacturers' Association.
Recorded May 3, 2005.
Aired the week of May 15, 2005. 20 minutes. |
Road Fund Diversion |
|

|
From Chicago: Senator Wendell
Jones of Palatine is joined by Doug Whitley of the State Chamber of
Commerce, Don Schaefer of the Mid-West Truckers Association, and
others who allege the Blagojevich Administration is diverting money
from the Road Fund to spend on other programs.
Recorded May 2, 2005.
Aired the week of May 8, 2005. 15 minutes. |
Speaker Madigan Sides with
Republicans on Budget |
|

|
From Springfield: at the annual
legislative luncheon held by the Illinois Manufacturers' and
Illinois Retail Merchants Associations, House Speaker Michael
Madigan tells the gathering why this year he is again siding with
House and Senate Republicans on budget issues.
Recorded May 3, 2005.
Aired the week of May 8, 2005. 10 minutes. |
Privatizing Social Security
Retirement Accounts |
|

|
From Washington, DC:
an interview with Michael Tanner, Director of the "Project on Social
Security Choice" at the Cato Institute. Mr. Tanner discusses
why allowing workers to invest a portion of their Social Security
taxes into private retirement accounts would benefit both the worker
and the Social Security system.
Recorded April 28, 2005.
Aired the week of May 8, 2005. 20 minutes. |
Impact of Tourism on Illinois
Economy |
|

|
From Springfield: spokesmen for
Illinois tourism testify before the House Tourism and Conventions
Committee. In 2003, Illinois reported visitors to the state
spent $23 billion, which produced $1.7 billion in tax revenues.
We will hear tourism participants testimony concerning the economic
impact of tourism on state and local economies and their desire to
avoid further cuts in state funds for marketing Illinois tourism.
Recorded April 12, 2005.
Aired the week of April 17, 2005. 25 minutes. |
John Filan: State Budget Director |
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From Springfield: our
one-on-one interview with State Budget Director John Filan.
Along with hearing how state budgets are created, we also hear how
the growth of state pensions and Medicaid payments threatens the
funding balance of the Illinois state budget for years to come.
Recorded April 6, 2005.
Aired the week of April 10, 2005. 1 hour 15 minutes. |
The Illinois Economy and State Budget |
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From Springfield: Economists from the
University of Illinois Analyze Illinois' current economic conditions and
prospects for future growth. Also, Illinois Budget Director John Filan
discusses details behind Governor Blagojevich's proposed budget and plans
for changing the state's pension plan.
This program is underwritten
in part by the
Institute of Government and Public
Affairs at the University of Illinois and the
Center for State Policy and Leadership at the
University of Illinois at Springfield.
Recorded
March 1, 2005. Aired the week of March 6, 2005.
1 hour 10 minutes. |
Fiscal Year 2006 Budget Address |
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From the State Capitol: Governor Rod
Blagojevich delivers his $53 Billion Budget Address, proposing some $43.5
Billion in spending for Operations and $9.4 Billion in Capital spending.
The Governor also calls for reforming state pensions, reforming Medicaid,
and centralizing spending on state
healthcare.
Speech
Transcript - PDF
Speech
Transcript - HTML
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