Health & Medicine has developed 4 new documents that explore how we can develop a stronger public health system in Cook County. Health & Medicine studied best practices from health systems across the U.S., examining governance structures and consolidations, financing and taxing authority initiatives, and initiatives that developed more streamlined and effective health systems. The reports below describe our findings and make recommendations for the city of Chicago and Cook County.
From our friends at Center for Tax and Budget Accountability
Flip It to Fix It: An Immediate, Fair Solution to State Budget Shortfalls
Invert State Tax Structures To Eliminate State Budget Deficits
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Chicago, IL (May 25, 2011) – A new study released today by the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and United for a Fair Economy has found that inverting state and local tax structures – whereby the highest income earners would be taxed at the current percentage of income for the lowest income earners and vice versa (so that taxes for the bottom 60 percent of households would be reduced or unchanged) – would collectively raise $32.5 billion in new state and local revenue for Illinois (a 56.2% increase in public revenue), immediately eliminating state and local budget deficits and avoiding the serious consequences of budget cuts. The report, titled “Flip It to Fix It: An Immediate, Fair Solution to State Budget Shortfalls” attributes a large part of states’ current deficits to the regressive tax structures that the report shows are designed to fail. “Trying to raise adequate revenue through a regressive tax structure-where a greater percent of income is demanded of the poor than the well-off-is like trying to squeeze water from a stone,” said Karen Kraut, coordinator of state tax policy at United for a Fair Economy and co-author of the report. In 2007, the bottom 20 percent of households in Illinois paid 13 percent of their income in sales, property, and income taxes, the third highest share of 50 states and the District of Columbia, and more than three times the share paid by the top 1 percent (4.1% according to Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy 2007 data, “Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States,” Third Edition, November, 2009). But though Illinois imposes a high tax burden on the lowest income households, of 41 states with an income tax, Illinois was tied for fourth lowest individual tax rate on households in the top income bracket (Federation of Tax Administrators, February 2011, see: http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/ind_inc.pdf ). “The inadequacy of regressive tax structures puts everything we value at risk: the well-being of families, the future competitiveness of the American workforce, and the nation’s ability to rebound from the recession and prosper,” said Kraut. The report contends that an inverted tax structure not only solves budget crises, but increases equity and best spurs steady and strong economic activity. The national coalition calls on states to adopt its proposed progressive tax reforms, many of which are immediately achievable and will help solve state deficits. “By enacting a progressive income tax, Illinois could reduce taxes for the bottom 80 percent of families and still raise billions of dollars more in state revenue. For example, based on 2007 Illinois Department of Revenue data, 28,999 millionaire filers* contributed over $ 1.7 billion in state tax revenue of Illinois’ $9.2 billion in total 2007 individual income tax revenue, despite paying an effective tax rate of 1.3%, about half the effective rate of other middle income filers,” according to Ron Baiman, Director of Budget and Policy Analysis at the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, a bi-partisan nonprofit fiscal policy think tank in Chicago, IL. As we go to press, the Illinois General Assembly is considering a Fiscal Year 2012 budget that cuts vital public programs, which in turn leads to layoffs for public service providers. Such moves increase unemployment and weaken economic recovery. At the heart of the budget crisis facing Illinois is a regressive state tax structure that is unfair, unsound, and unsustainable. Fortunately, inverting the state’s current tax structure presents a sensible solution. The inversion exercise offered in “Flip It To Fix It” takes a state’s current distribution of state and local taxes by income quintile (lowest 20 percent, second 20 percent, middle 20 percent, fourth 20 percent, top 20 percent) and flips it at the 50th percentile mark, thereby making a regressive structure progressive. EVERY state benefits from the inversion of their tax structure into a progressive one! Key findings:
Read the full “Flip It To Fix It” report and find a state-by-state breakdown at http://www.faireconomy.org/flipitreport . *This is less than half of 1 percent of Illinois’ 6 million tax filers. |
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The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability (CTBA) is a partner of United for a Fair Economy through its program, the Tax Fairness Organizing Collaborative, a network of statewide organizations in 24 states working to reduce economic inequality through progressive tax reform.
The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, located in Chicago, IL, is a bi-partisan 501(c)(3) research and advocacy think tank that promotes fair, efficient and progressive tax, spending and economic policies.
Contact:
Ron Baiman, Director of Budget and Policy Analysis
rbaiman@ctbaonline.org 312.332.1480
Health & Medicine, in collaboration with the Fair Care Coalition, developed a fact sheet that explains why a Fair Care Program is needed in Illinois to hold non-profit hospitals accountable for the tax exemptions they receive.
(Download the Job Description for Part-Time Assistant Policy Analyst for the LGBTQ Task Force)
Summary
The Court Involved Youth Project of Health & Medicine Research Policy Group (Health & Medicine) seeks a part-time (16 hours per week) Assistant Policy Analyst for a one-year period to support of the work of the Court Involved LGBTQ Youth Task Force. Assistant Policy Analyst will work out of Health & Medicine’s office at 29 E. Madison, Ste. 602 in downtown Chicago. Hourly salary is commensurate with experience.
Health & Medicine and the Court Involved Youth Project
Health & Medicine is a 30-year old independent policy organization whose mission is to promote social justice and challenge inequities in health and health care through research, education, policy advocacy and coalition building. Health & Medicine envisions a society free of social inequities, with a healthy population accessing high quality health care, delivered in comprehensive health systems by culturally competent providers.
Since 2002, Health & Medicine has worked to address the broad health issues of court involved youth in the juvenile justice system in Illinois. The overarching goal of the Court Involved Youth Project is support the development of a juvenile justice system that contributes to the comprehensive, positive development of court involved youth. To accomplish our goal, the Project collaborates with a broad based group of community and systems partners to advocate for policies, services, and programming that are effective because they are gender responsive, trauma informed and culturally competent.
Alongside the range of shared experiences of court involved youth are important distinctions. Accounting always for the issues that contribute to the youth’s shared experiences (e.g. racism, poverty), Health & Medicine’s Court Involved Youth Project focuses its activities on the specific needs of youth in three subpopulations: girls, boys and LGBTQ youth.
Cook County Court Involved LGBTQ Youth Task Force
In October 2010, in partnership with Cook County Juvenile Probation, Health & Medicine’s Court Involved Youth Project convened the Cook County Court Involved LGBTQ Task Force (Task Force) to address the needs of court involved youth who identify as or are perceived to be LGBTQ. Its key stakeholders – judges, attorneys, probation officers, secure facilities’ staff, community based providers and advocates – are committed to (1) researching and adapting promising practices relating to effective, professional and sensitive policies, training, programs and services and (2) coordinating the implementation of these practices across the system in furtherance of creating and sustaining a system that supports all youth.
Major responsibilities for this position include, under the supervision of the Senior Policy Analyst:
Support the Cook County Court Involved LGBTQ Youth Task Force in working to develop and advocate for passage of policies addressing the needs and rights of LGBTQ youth across the system.
- Coordinate biweekly in-person and telephonic meetings
- Researching and summarizing legal, medical, and other issues relating to court involved and LGBTQ youth
- Substantive policy and policy advocacy work (consistency; integrate changes to drafts; help strategize ways to advocate for passage)
- Co-author white paper on process, challenges, and successes of Task Force
- Partner with Senior Policy Analyst and Health & Medicine staff and consultants on fundraising activities including special events and grant-writing and reporting
- Other administrative and substantive duties as assigned.
Required experience and skills are:
- Passion for policy advocacy and broad based coalitions as tools for progressive social change
- Commitment to values and policies of Health & Medicine
- Sense of humor
- Familiarity with LGBTQ topics and issues, particularly as they relate to youth
- Experience in coordination, planning and/or management of projects
- Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills
- Capacity for, and comfort with, teamwork including working with volunteers
Preferred experience and skills are:
- Experience with and/or knowledge of the juvenile justice system in Illinois
- Experience evaluating programs
- Experience in coalition building
- Bilingual: English/Spanish
People interested in this position should send a cover letter and resume to Sarah Schriber, Senior Policy Analyst, Health & Medicine Policy Research Group NO CALLS OR OFFICE VISITS PLEASE.
Health & Medicine Policy Research Group is an equal opportunity employer. We recruit, hire, train and promote without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability or any other protected status. People of color and transgender persons are especially encouraged to apply.
(Download the Job Description for Part-Time Assistant Policy Analyst for the LGBTQ Task Force)
