On Sunday, State Representative John Fritchey announced that he was introducing legislation that would require unappropriated funds from Tax Increment Financing districts to be refunded to their original taxing bodies at the end of the fiscal year. Tax Increment Financing, or TIFs, freeze the amount of revenue that a taxing body, such as schools, parks, the county and other agencies can take from a district for 23 years. And revenue generated from a tax increase is diverted into a separate fund, which is operated by the city. A product of state law, TIFs were designed to fight blight in an area that might need an extra boost for development. As a result, those other taxing bodies wind up starved for cash while the TIF fund balloons into a pool of cash that is accounted for separately from the city budget. "If you take the numbers based on 2009, this program, this legislation would have resulted in $500 million going back to the Chicago Public Schools. That's enough to wipe out $370 million deficit plus a surplus," Fritchey told ACB7. more ›

Illinois state Rep. John Fritchey (D-11th) is expected to announce that he is running for Cook County Commissioner in the 12th District (Northwest Side), this morning, the seat currently held by Forrest Claypool. Fritchey said last night in a press release that he, Claypool and Rep. Mike Quigley (D-5th) would, "appear together tomorrow to make an important campaign announcement regarding the Feb. 2010 Primary Election." more ›

The pressure on the beleaguered Illinois Governor cranked up a notch this weekend, as State Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) told CBS2 Chicago that the Illinois House should begin preparing for impeachment proceedings. "Creating a committee to decide if impeachment is warranted is such a reasonable premise that there would be overwhelming support in the House," Fritchey said. more ›