Illinois' Budget Hole Deepens
Because of declining income tax and gaming revenues, Illinois is now facing an additional $900 million hole in the state's deficit for the current fiscal year, according to projections by Gov. Pat Quinn's budget director.

Cullerton: MAP Grants Spared
Lawmakers are prepared to approve legislation authorizing Gov. Quinn to spend $200 million to fund this spring's Monetary Award Program grants for low-income college students, according to Senate President John Cullerton. Still, with tax hikes and fee increases off the table, it remains to be seen if Quinn has enough money to pull from the $1 billion discretionary fund that's set aside to cover emergency shortfalls.

House Committee OKs Weak Campaign Caps Bill
To the dismay of good-government watchdogs, House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) has succeeded in advancing a weakened rewrite of campaign finance reform legislation out of his House Executive Committee. The measure, which critics see as a power grab,  sets limits on how much money candidates can receive from all donors except legislative and party leaders.

A First Step Toward Repealing Cook County Sales Tax Hike
The Illinois House took a step toward repealing Cook County's controversial penny-on-the-dollar sales tax hike yesterday by approving a measure that would reduce the county board's veto override threshold from a four-fifths to three-fifths majority. That bill is now headed to the Senate. Meanwhile, a proposal to kill the sales tax hike from Springfield was narrowly rejected.

Cook County Hospitals Look To Cut Inpatient Care
Despite the growing demand for affordable health care in impoversihed parts of the south suburbs, the Cook County Health and Hospital System has released a proposal to eliminate inpatient care at Oak Forest and Provident hospitals.

Image used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user Thomas Merton.