Under pressure from Gov. Pat Quinn and others, federal regulators have reversed a tentative decision and ruled that the Chicago area is still out of compliance with the Clean Air Act, preserving about $80 million a year in federal funding for bike trails, mass transit and other traffic-easing projects.
Touting a jobs platform, Gov. Pat Quinn pushed modest tax relief, Medicaid and pension reforms, more college grant spending and an end to the state’s natural gas tax in a State of the State speech Wednesday overshadowed by Illinois’ gloomy financial condition.
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Spending on state grants for low-income college students would jump by “tens of millions of dollars” under a push Gov. Pat Quinn will make in his State of the State address Wednesday. That increase in the state’s Monetary Award Program, targeted tax cuts for veterans and families with children, and job creation are expected to be key planks in his address.
Pat Quinn says his State of the State address will focus on jobs and economic growth because that's the top issue for Illinois residents. Quinn spoke Tuesday at a Chicago news conference where he announced two start-up companies that will benefit from the state's new venture capital fund.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, responding to a dire new report on state finances Monday, said more clearly than ever that he wants schools and universities to help pay for their employees' retirement costs.
