The Cook County Board has passed its 2013 budget and in it includes a hike on cigarettes, which follows a $1 increase on packs that was passed at the state level earlier this year.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will present her 2013
budget today to the county board and is expected to include
a $1 increase in the county cigarette tax.
A dispute between Gov. Pat Quinn and Illinois Republicans on the pace
of implementing a Medicaid eligibility verification system raises the
larger issue of whether the state can actually cut a total of $1.6 billion from Medicaid.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office might propose raising the city's
cigarette and amusement taxes to help close a projected $369 million
budget hole.
But
how can Quinn order these shut downs after the General Assembly passed a
budget with money to keep them open? What power does Quinn have and
what powers do lawmakers have? Read more »
Gov. Pat Quinn signed this morning a package of bills to achieve his
desired $2.7 billion in Medicaid savings, including a measure to raise the cigarette
tax by $1 a pack.
The Illinois Senate this afternoon narrowly passed a bill 31-27 to raise the cigarette tax a dollar a pack – sending it to Gov. Pat Quinn who will enthusiastically sign the measure. The bill impacts smokers, who now must pay $1.98 in taxes per pack.
It is also intended to greatly impact state Medicaid payments – the levy is supposed to generate $700 million a year, which includes $350 million in federal matching funds. Also, included in the bill is $100 million in anticipated revenue from hospital assessments. Read more »
The General Assembly stayed in session until late Thursday evening to pass a bill that would lop off $1.6 billion from the federal-state Medicaid program that serves 2.7 million Illinois residents. But while state lawmakers worked overtime to enact Medicaid cuts, they just introduced a bill this afternoon that hikes the state cigarette tax and, combined with the cuts, would cover the state’s $2.7 billion in unfunded Medicaid liabilities.
A dispute between Gov. Pat Quinn and Illinois Republicans on the pace
of implementing a Medicaid eligibility verification system raises the
larger issue of whether the state can actually cut a total of 
Gov. Pat Quinn has decided to close
several state correctional facilities in addition to shutting down the 
The Illinois Senate this afternoon narrowly passed a 
