Illinois Policy Institute
From Sunshine Review
| Illinois Policy Institute | |
| 501(c)(3) | |
 | |
| Leadership: | John Tillman |
| Political party | Non-partisan |
| Website | Illinois Policy Institute |
| Transparency Focus | |
| Open Illinois | |
Contents |
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| Coalition partner |
The Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) is a 501(c)3 nonpartisan research organization dedicated to supporting free market principles and liberty-based public policy initiatives for a better Illinois. The group participates at the state and local level, with offices in Chicago and Springfield.
[edit] Staff
The organization is run by John Tillman, who is also on the board of the Sam Adams Alliance. Also on the board of directors is Steve Brown, Terry T. Campo, Esq., Bill Becker, and Kevin L. Spudic.[1]
- John Tillman, Chairman and CEO
- Kristina Rasmussen, Executive Vice President
- Heather Wilhelm, Vice President of Marketing and Communications
- Collin Hitt, Director of Education Policy
- Kate Campaigne, Director of Center for Government Reform
- Richard Lorenc, Director of Outreach
[edit] Current projects
[edit] Pork watch
One of the largest projects the organization and Citizens Against Government Waste has undertaken is the Illinois Piglet Book, which exposed $686 million in wasteful spending in Illinois.[2],[3]
[edit] Transparency projects
The think tank also covers education reform (in the form of advocacy for charter schools and tuition tax credits), health care, free market solutions and transparency and accountability at the state and local level. IPI has been working with For the Good of Illinois to gain transparency at the school district level. The Institute's Liberty Leaders program trains people interested in government accountability and transparency how to communicate their ideas and the policies that may become law.
In 2008, Kate Campaigne, the Institute's director of government reform, wrote an op-ed advocated more transparency in Illinois, saying
On a very basic level, practicing transparency entails listing all government expenditures online in an easily searchable database. Just as you can open your personal bank account online and look up your spending activity, the database would provide the details of every tax dollar spent.[4]
On October 2, 2008 The Illinois Policy Institute launched OpenIllinois.org. a website dedicated to expanding transparency across the state of Illinois through the works of liberty leaders and partner organizations.[5]
On May 15, 2009 the Illinois Senate unanimously passed HB35, the Illinois Accountability Portal. The legislation, which IPI backed, would create an online portal of state spending. It goes to Governor Quinn for approval.
[edit] Budget Review: Taxes and Spending
In response to Governor Pat Quinn's call to increase personal and corporate income taxes in 2009, the Illinois Policy Institute released a table showing who would pay higher taxes based on family size and income level:
- An individual making more than $14,000 would pay higher taxes.
- A couple earning more than $28,000 would pay higher taxes.
- A family of three bringing home more than $42,000 would pay higher taxes.
- A household of four with income over $56,000 would pay higher taxes.
The Institute released a report by tax economist Scoot Moody that showed that the long-term loss associated with the personal income tax hike, in present value terms, would cost the Illinois economy $8.6 billion in lost output.
The Institute suggested a "Council on Efficient Government" -- a strong efficiency review body with power to develop significant cost-saving performance and procurement guidelines -- as a way to address budget shortfalls.
An article by an Institute staffer [6] noted a tax hike "...is devastating news for a state that already ranks 44th and 48th, respectively, in terms of its economic outlook and performance, according to the ALEC-Laffer state economic-competitiveness index. Should Illinois increase its historically low income-tax rates, it would forfeit one of the best incentives for people to live and work in the state."
The Institute has also released a report entitled "Budget Solutions 2010" which illustrates how the state of Illinois can have a balanced budget without raising taxes or cutting essential programs.
[edit] Education Reform
The Institute supports education choice. They suggest eliminating all caps restricting the growth of charter schools in Illinois and creating independent authorities that will enable charter schools to open.
[edit] IPI Websites
- Open Illinois - OpenIllinois.org is dedicated to expanding transparency across the state of Illinois through the works of liberty leaders and partner organizations.[7]
- Spontaneous Solutions - Blog of the Illinois Policy Institute.
- Tweet Illinois - TweetIllinois.org gathers the short, electronic messages (or “tweets”) of Illinois legislators and publishes them in a central location.
[edit] Contact
Illinois Policy Institute
190 S. LaSalle Street
Suite 2130
Chicago, IL 60603
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ↑ Illinois Policy Institute, Board of Directors
- ↑ Chicago Fox News, Private Group Details Spending, April 9th, 2008
- ↑ State Journal Register, Groups: Budget full of ‘wasteful spending’, April 10, 2008
- ↑ The State Journal Register, Kate Campaigne: Public bodies should be posting expenditures online, July 29, 2008
- ↑ Open Illinois.org
- ↑ National Review Online, If Blago Wasn’t Bad Enough, March 26, 2009
- ↑ Open Illinois.org
