Introduction
Vision
The Illinois Policy Institute’s vision is to make Illinois first in economic outlook and job creation and to become a free enterprise leader for the rest of America.
Mission
The Illinois Policy Institute inspires changes in hearts, minds and laws through its mission to promote personal freedom and prosperity in Illinois and America. As a leading independent research and education organization, the Institute generates positive and sustainable policy solutions for citizens and lawmakers that help unleash talent and entrepreneurial ability.
Approach
The Illinois Policy Institute’s approach is to transform liberty principles into marketable policies that become law. The ultimate sign of success is when free market ideas are turned into law and change lives for the better. What does this look like? Individuals and businesses become more prosperous without the fear of government favoritism or interference, families can choose a high quality education for their kids and citizens respect their government because it is open and transparent to all. ♦
1 School Choice
When the Institute began its work in education reform, a small but successful sector of charter schools existed in Chicago. State law prevented their numbers from growing within the city. With the lines of students waiting to get into charter schools were growing by the thousands, removing the cap on charter schools in Chicago became the top priority of the Institute's education reform work.
In 2009, after a public battle and private negotiations, both of which the Institute was involved in, the cap was increased to allow for several robust years of growth in the city. The Institute then set its sights on expanding the charter school movement to the rest of the state, producing a video highlighting the incredible opportunity that charter schools provide students in the city.
Soon thereafter, a state task force was created to study that issue, and the Institute was awarded a seat. The task force issued a majority report calling for the creation of a statewide commission with powers to approve charter schools anywhere in the state. In July 2011, Illinois Govenor Pat Quinn signed legislation that adopts those recommendations into law. As a result in coming years, as charter schools grow in Chicago, so too will they grow in dozens of other underserved Illinois communities whose families await a better choice of schools. ♦
2 Public Employee Compensation
Illinois state government is deeply in debt, and most of this debt is tied to the retirement benefits of state and local government employees. In fact, more than $85 billion unfunded pension obligation is the primary reason why Illinois has – by far – the lowest negative net worth of any in the country. Tax relief and job creation will be impossible without addressing this situation.
To complement our research and policy proposals, the Institute appealed directly to the public with We Are 21, a web video and accompanying microsite that underscored the unsustainable nature of the state's pensions system. The project highlighted a simple fact: in Illinois, 21 private sector workers are required to fund a single government job.
Pensions aren't the only area in which public sector compensation defies economic reality. This summer, just as public employees took to the streets to demand their third raise in seven months, the Institute was poised to release a new report highlighting a 23% gap between average salaries for state and private workers; the Institute sprung into action with Pop Quiz, a low-budget, quick-response video revealing the protestors' mistaken outlook. ♦
3 Liberty Leaders
Last year, in partnership with grassroots volunteers, the Institute launched the Local Transparency Project. Its "Ten-Point Transparency Checklist" measures the online availability of key information, including contact information for officials, public records, budgets, expenditures and more. More than 130 local government agencies have already been graded by the Institute and many have considerably improved their financial accountability.
(Web film in a series, 2011)
The time is ripe to advance the cause of transparency in Illinois. The Institute's Local Government Transparency Act (introduced as SB37) was passed and recommended to all 50 states by the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force, while the Tax Disclosure Act (SB43) was recently signed into law by Gov. Quinn.
Fighting on the front lines for local transparency are the Institute's Liberty Leaders, a diverse network of more than 1,215 citizen activists dedicated to promoting the principles of accountability, transparency and better government in Illinois. Liberty Leaders are revitalizing citizen participation, reforming the public sector and working to make Illinois a better place to live for all citizens. ♦
Policy Changes Lives
We work to influence hearts, minds and laws because policy changes lives.
Good policy changes lives for the better, and that's something worth fighting for.
To learn more about our work, please visit IllinoisPolicy.org. ♦
