All Press Items

CTBA experts are available to provide insight, analysis, and data to the press on a wide range of public policy issues. In addition, CTBA disseminates new research and timely updates on policy developments to the media.

What We Do

  • Policy analysis and advocacy
  • Empirical research
  • Advice and technical assistance
  • Strategic leadership in coalitions
  • Legislative testimony
  • Public education
February 11, 2022State Journal Register

Ralph Martire summarizes Governor Pritzker's proposed budget plan and from a fiscal responsibility standpoint there’s much to like in what the governor put on the table, starting with how he proposes to use the unexpected on-budget surplus that’s materialized in the current fiscal year.

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February 3, 2022The Pantagraph

Budget experts, including CTBA’s Ralph Martire, respond to Governor Pritzker’s proposed budget proposal. Budget experts said Pritzker was prudent to focus on using one-time funds for one-time expenses, such as making the extra pension payment and sunsetting the tax relief after one year.

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February 1, 2022Capitol Fax

CTBA’s EITC report is mentioned in the Economic Security for Illinois’ response to Governor’s Pritzker’s budget proposal.

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January 11, 2022The National Desk

President Joe Biden is getting impatient with schools that are supposedly not moving fast enough to spend stimulus money they got from COVID-19 relief bills, but some analysts say there are good reasons why most of that money has not yet been spent. Ralph Martire told Bloomberg in November, that “Most of it is being used for the right things and in the right areas, the problem is understanding the impact of taking away a service once you’ve provided it,” Martire added that school districts should be very persnickety about utilizing funds to cover recurring costs.

Fox 17 News, Nashville also ran the story: https://fox17.com/news/nation-world/heres-why-analysts-say-schools-arent-spending-more-of-their-200-billion-covid-stimulus

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January 11, 2022The National Desk

President Joe Biden is getting impatient with schools that are supposedly not moving fast enough to spend stimulus money they got from COVID-19 relief bills, but some analysts say there are good reasons why most of that money has not yet been spent. Ralph Martire told Bloomberg in November, that “Most of it is being used for the right things and in the right areas, the problem is understanding the impact of taking away a service once you’ve provided it,” Martire added that school districts should be very persnickety about utilizing funds to cover recurring costs.

Fox 17 News, Nashville also ran the story: https://fox17.com/news/nation-world/heres-why-analysts-say-schools-arent-spending-more-of-their-200-billion-covid-stimulus

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August 11, 2021WBEZ

It’s budget season in Chicago — CTBA Executive Director Ralph Martire spoke with WBEZ reporter Mariah Woelfel about how residents can become involved in the budget process.

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April 12, 2021Roosevelt University

And Justice For All is the the official podcast of Roosevelt University. 

This podcast explores the close relationship between education and justice.  You can’t have one without the other.  We see the transformative power of education every day in the lives of our students, and we’re driven to make education accessible for all, despite the economic, historical and social barriers that we face.  Inclusion is at the core of Roosevelt's legacy, and higher education is the gateway to the American Dream.

Education for all.  And Justice For All.  

That's who we are.  That's who we've always been.

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March 22, 2021YouTube

The National Council of Jewish Women, Chicago North Shore hosted Ralph Martire for a virtual discussion on Illinois’ Tax Infrastructure: How Income, Sales, and Property Taxes Interact. Some pieces of the puzzle that Ralph addressed included: How do income taxes interact with sales and property taxes? Will Illinois ever have a tax structure that takes them all into account? How will there be enough money to fund human services in Illinois? You can watch the presentation via YouTube at the following link: https://youtu.be/xIuiU0VUybk.

 

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March 16, 2021State Journal Register

Gov. JB Pritzker was able to come up with a balanced state budget plan for the next fiscal year despite voters turning down a proposed move from a flat to a graduated income tax in November. According to Allison Flanagan, CTBA’s director of public policy and co-author of the new analysis says “the problem is still there.” Illinois needs structural tax reform and refinancing of its pension debt to stabilize finances and avoid more cuts to education and other state services.

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March 13, 2021The Daily Herald

In order to balance next year's state budget, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is asking legislators to eliminate what his administration calls nine "corporate tax loopholes" to generate nearly $1 billion per year in revenue. Ralph Martire, executive director of the bipartisan Center for Tax and Budget

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