Illinois ranks next-to-last in state fiscal health, report finds
ARLINGTON, Va. (Heartland Newsfeed via Morning Consult) -- Illinois trailed most states financially long before this year’s dramatic budget impasse, according to an annual report published Tuesday by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Illinois, which last week narrowly passed its first budget in three years, ranked 49th in the libertarian-leaning think tank’s 2017 state-by-state fiscal solvency report. New Jersey ranked 50th. The rankings are based on data from the 2015-16 fiscal year, before Illinois’ almost $15 billion in unpaid bills prompted the […]