Category: Government

Glen Ellyn lawmaker seeks home school laws

By Beth Hundsdorfer & Molly ParkerCapitol News Illinoisinvestigations@capitolnewsillinois.com An Illinois lawmaker heading a child welfare committee said the state must strengthen its laws and policies to protect homeschooled children facing inadequate education, abuse and neglect. Representative Terra Costa Howard, the chair of the Adoption and Child Welfare Committee in the

Rep. Hernandez a champion of safety for children in the workplace

A new measure carried by State Representative Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, will create new child labor protections to keep children safe and free from exploitation in the workplace, and was signed into law this week. “Our children deserve robust protections if they take part in Illinois’ workforce,” Hernandez said. “Exploitation and

Rules, procedures, apply for political party nominees

The League of Women Voters of the United States, as a member organization of the National Task Force on Election Crises, released the following statement on the Democratic Party’s replacing its presumptive presidential nominee: “While a major party’s presumptive nominee withdrawing his presidential candidacy is an extraordinary occurrence, rules and

State Republicans urged to look beyond usual base

By Peter Hancock, Hannah Meisel, & Andrew AdamsCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com MILWAUKEE – A former Republican congressman from New York told Illinois Republicans Tuesday, July 16 that to win more elections in their deeply blue state, they need to reach beyond the traditional conservative voting base. “We need to challenge ourselves

Governor Pritzker: ‘All in’ for Joe Biden

By Jerry NowickiCapitol News Illinoisjnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com Governor JB Pritzker said Tuesday, July 9 he is “all in” for president Joe Biden after visiting the White House last week with other Democratic Party governors. He went to Washington, D.C., to meet with the president and members of the Democratic Governors Association Wednesday,

Aurora City Council makes appointments, seeks Special Census

By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council approved the following mayoral appointments at the Tuesday, July 9 City Council meeting: •Approved was a Resolution appointing Carlos Anaya to the Innovation and Technology Advisory Commission. •Approved was a Resolution appointing Gloria Ramos, Keshav Varma, and Delainey Baran to the Aurora Youth

High school students to start new exams in Spring 2025

By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com When Illinois high school students sit down to take their annual State assessments next year, they will take a different exam than in recent years. The Illinois State Board of Education recently announced that starting next Spring, it will use the ACT exam rather than

State ends fiscal year with nearly $5B cash on hand

By Jerry NowickiCapitol News Illinoisjnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois entered a new fiscal year Monday, July 1, with a bit of a financial cushion when the prior year’s revenues exceeded final projections by approximately $123 million. The state ended fiscal year 2024 with approximately $4.7 billion cash on hand, or approximately nine percent

Tyranny rises and freedom falls in ruling

By John & Nisha Whitehead Most teams will begin non-conference “The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.”—Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissenting in Trump v. United States The U.S. Supreme Court

Pritzker signs bill to increase party power

By Andrew AdamsCapitol News Illinoisaadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Changes to primary election fundraising, the electoral college and the state’s voter registration database are now law after governor JB Pritzker signed a wide-ranging bill Monday his week. The legislation, containing several unrelated election measures, passed near the end of the legislature’s spring session on