Politics and Government

Governor Bruce Rauner had $58.3 million dollars in income last year. The Republican has released tax returns for 2014, showing he paid more than $18 million in federal and state taxes.

His effective Federal tax rate was about 26%. His overall effective rate was 31%

The Rauner family foundation also gave more than $3.3 million to charity.
 

If former Congressman Aaron Schock keeps spending money on lawyers at this rate, his campaign fund will be out of money by the next quarterly filing period. The most recend Federal Election Commission report shows the Peoria Republican spent $900,000 in legal fees in the third quarter and still owes $747,000. He has less than $1.2 million cash on hand. Since Schock resigned under an ethics cloud and a grand jury investigation into his personal and campaign financial dealings, Schock has spent nearly $2.7 million on lawyers.

Illinois candidates for U.S. Senate in 2016 are reporting millions of dollars in campaign money raised in the third quarter. Democrat Tammy Duckworth's campaign said Wednesday it raised $1.46 million. Aides say the congresswoman has $2.8 million in the bank. Duckworth is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge first-term Republican Sen. Mark Kirk.  

Kirk reported contributions of $1.05 million since June.  His campaign says he has $3.62 million on hand.  

Both campaigns say the expansion of their donor bases suggested wide, grassroots support.  

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner wants to hold a public auction to sell the James R. Thompson Center, which houses state government offices in downtown Chicago.

A federal judge has granted class-action status to a lawsuit brought by deaf inmates alleging the Illinois Department of Corrections violates their civil rights. The complaint, first filed in 2011, claims deaf and partially deaf prisoners have limited access to sign language interpreters, hearing aids and other accommodations. Attorneys say the result is exclusion because the prisoners can't communicate. That means effectively missing religious services, court-mandated classes, medical visits and in some cases, emergency evacuations.

Peoria State Representative David Leitch is retiring at the end of his term in 2016. Leitch has served in the Illinois House since 1989 and previously in the Illinois State Senate from 1986 to 1987. The Peoria Republican says it's been the honor of his life to represent Central Illinois for nearly three decades. Leitch is currently the longest-serving member of the Illinois House Republican caucus, and is the fifth most senior member of the Illinois House.

The former CEO of Chicago Public Schools has been indicted on corruption charges following a federal investigation into a $20 million no-bid contract.

A bipartisan panel has selected longtime state Representative Frank Mautino to serve as Illinois' next auditor general. The Legislative Audit Commission voted Tuesday to recommend the Spring Valley Democrat to replace retiring Auditor General William Holland. Mautino's selection for the job of overseeing audits of state agencies must be approved by a three-fifth vote in the Illinois House and Senate. Mautino has represented parts or all of Bureau, LaSalle, Livingston and Putnam counties since 1991. He's served as deputy majority leader since 2011.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says the standoff over a state budget "could go on for a while" but his administration is prepared to continue managing state finances without one. The Republican spoke Friday following a manufacturing expo in Effingham.  

He says he remains committed to getting Democrats to approve some of his pro-business agenda. He repeated that if Democrats don't want to work with him they can balance the budget _ by passing a tax increase _ without his support.  

A newspaper analysis of Illinois' signature corporate tax-break program has found companies that receive the deals often don't add jobs or even lay off workers. An analysis by The Chicago Tribune of 783 tax deals the state has made through the Economic Development for a Growing Economy program found two-thirds of the companies that completed agreements didn't maintain agreed-upon job levels. And state officials can't say how many jobs have been created by the program known as EDGE.

The presidents of Illinois' nine public universities are urging Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and leaders in the Democrat-controlled General Assembly to end the ongoing state-budget stalemate. The presidents said in a letter to the governor and lawmakers on Thursday that uncertainty over how much state money the schools will get this fiscal year and when they'll get it is beginning to damage their ability to teach and do research.