Senate President John J. Cullerton News

Constant talk of corporate taxes and fiscal uncertainty clouds an important fact: Illinois is a better place to do business than surrounding states.

Lost amid headlines about rising corporate taxes, companies threatening to leave the state and rival governors wooing others is an important fact: Illinois is a better place to do business than surrounding states.

Read more: Illinois' business climate outshines its neighbors'

Senate President John J. Cullerton released a statement after learning of Representative Mark Beaubien's death on Sunday evening:

"Representative Beaubien was a true statesman in the General Assembly. My thoughts go out to his family and his constituents."

State Representative Mark Beaubien died suddenly late Sunday afternoon. He was at a House Republican event with family, friends and colleagues.

Rep. Beaubien and President Cullerton worked together this year to pass a measure requiring the use of backseat seatbelts, evidence of Beaubien's ability to work with members on both sides of the aisle throughout his time in the state legislature.

Windy City Earns Third Best City in the United States

Despite the "sky is falling" claims that Illinois is an awful place to do business, the internationally respected accounting and business consulting firm PriceWaterhouseCooper, LLC issued a report yesterday putting Chicago in seventh place for the best cities for business in the world. The report reinforces the optimism that, in fact, Illinois is still a global leader for economic opportunity.

The study, entitled "Cities of Opportunity," is an in-depth survey covering 26 cities which examines 10 key indicators along with providing insight from urban experts.

The report notes that the Windy City, which also earned a third place ranking behind New York and San Francisco, is the second best city in the world for entrepreneurs.

Even with all of our state's challenges, it's another reason to be proud and optimistic for Illinois.

You can view Crain's Chicago Business columnist Greg Hine's story HERE. The full PriceWaterhouseCooper report is in PDF format below.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Senator John Sullivan (D – Rushville) has been working on several bills on behalf of his constituents to resolve problems with current law discovered in his district. Senate Bills 954, 956, and 2037, all bills brought on behalf of residents of the 47th District, recently passed the State Senate.

Read more: Sullivan Works with Constituents to Pass Legislation