By Maggie DoughertyCapitol News Illinoismdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois lawmakers are calling for an independent commission to investigate Illinois-linked crimes connected to international sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Democratic lawmakers Monday joined advocates for women and survivors of sexual abuse to introduce House Bill 5723, called the Illinois Epstein Files Investigation Act. The bill,
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com Eighteen former U.S. Department of Justice attorneys filed a brief in federal court this week opposing the Donald Trump administration’s lawsuit that seeks access to sensitive personal information about every registered voter in Illinois. In a friend-of-the-court brief filed Monday in U.S. District Court in
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Governor JB Pritzker denied a since-recanted comment by former president Bill Clinton that Clinton thought the pair may have traveled together on a plane owned by convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. His denial was in response to a 90-second video clip of Clinton’s closed-door deposition
By Nikoel HytrekCapitol News Illinoisnhytrek@capitolnewsillinois.com Surrounded by states with abortion restrictions, Illinois has become a destination for patients from across the country since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Illinois abortion providers took care of 23% of the approximately 155,000 Americans who traveled out of state
By Jenna SchweikertCapitol News Illinoisjschweikert@capitolnewsillinois.com As top legislators emphasize affordability this session, several lawmakers are taking aim at regulating algorithmic pricing that uses consumers’ personal data. Algorithmic pricing is a price-setting practice where companies use everything from mouse movements to website searches and messages to set unique, individualized prices using
By Maggie DoughertyCapitol News Illinoismdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com The woman who once faced charges for assaulting Border Patrol agents after being shot five times is no longer on the defensive, now plans to launch her own civil lawsuit against Homeland Security and the agent who shot her. Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old Montessori school
By Jenna SchweikertCapitol News Illinoisjschweikert@capitolnewsillinois.com Capitol News Illinois has launched its revamped 2026 Election Guide to coincide with the opening of early voting throughout much of the state. The guide has a rundown of key dates, information on how to register and vote early, and a lookup tool to put
By Ben Szalinskibszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.comCapital News Illinois Who wants to manage Illinois’ checkbook as the State faces growing financial uncertainty? Three State legislators and the treasurer of one of the State’s largest counties have raised their hand. Incumbent comptroller Susana Mendoza — who has first took office in 2016 in the middle
By Jenna SchweikertCapitol News Illinoisjschweikert@capitolnewsillinois.com New work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are in effect as of February 1, threatening benefits for hundreds of thousands of Illinoisians. Adults aged 18 to 64 without dependents under age 14 will be required to work, participate in SNAP Employment and
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Governor JB Pritzker is continuing to push a plan he introduced two years ago to reform Illinois pensions. The governor announced on Monday he is reviving a plan he introduced during his 2024 budget address that calls for fully funding pensions by 2048 and changing
By Brenden MooreCapitol News Illinoisbmoore@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois’ once-sleepy Democratic primary for retiring senator Dick Durbin’s seat heated up January 27 as the three leading contenders used their first live debate to cast themselves as the strongest bulwark against president Donald Trump and his administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics. The hourlong debate,
By Olivia ArditoMedill Illinois News Bureaunews@capitolnewsillinois.com Flu cases are increasing rapidly in Illinois as the state sees its worst flu season in more than 15 years. At least 100 people have died from the flu this season in Illinois, with 77 of those deaths occurring this month alone, according to
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com A multibillion-dollar budget crisis will hit the Illinois’ Medicaid program in the next few years unless State lawmakers and governor JB Pritzker act to prevent it, budget analysts both inside and outside State government warn. The crisis comes from changes in federal Medicaid policy that
By Brenden MooreCapitol News Illinoisbmoore@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois and Chicago sued the Donald Trump administration January 12, seeking to severely limit immigration agents’ authority in the state after accusing the feds of unleashing an “organized bombardment” to coerce state and local officials to change their immigration policies. State and city leaders want
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Department of Human Services disclosed recently that it mistakenly uploaded private health-related information about hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans to a publicly accessible website and left it there for more than three years before it discovered the mistake. But the agency would not
By Maggie DoughertyCapitol News Illinoismdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com Editor’s note: A correction was made to the current return on equity approved by the ICC in 2023 was supposed to be 9.38%, not 5.5%. Peoples Gas on Monday filed a $202.3 million rate hike request with the Illinois Commerce Commission, sparking public outcry and
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois residents who buy health insurance on the State-run marketplace now have a little more time to sign up for coverage for the upcoming year. Officials at Get Covered Illinois, the new state-run marketplace for insurance sold under the Affordable Care Act, announced Tuesday they
By Maggie DoughertyCapitol News Illinoismdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois lawmakers vowed to keep fighting for protections against artificial intelligence after President Donald Trump signed an executive order December 11 to shield tech companies from state laws. Trump’s order targets state regulations, including several in Illinois, that he said are inconsistent with national policy
By Brenden MooreCapitol News Illinoisbmoore@capitolnewsillinois.com Christening it as part of a “nation-leading” response to aggressive federal immigration raids, governor JB Pritzker signed legislation December 9 allowing Illinois residents to sue immigration agents who arrest them in or near courthouses or if they believe their constitutional rights were violated. The new
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Recent cuts by president Donald Trump’s administration could reduce the size of Illinois’ economy by nearly $10 billion each year, according to a new report released Monday by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute. The report offers a detailed looked at the effects of cuts enacted
