By Hannah MeiselCapitol News Illinoishmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Nearly 200 years after Native Americans were forced out of Illinois, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation has become the first federally recognized tribal nation in the State of Illinois after a decision from the recent U.S. Department of the Interior. The move represents the first...
By Cole Longcor Advocates for stricter gun laws rallied at the state Capitol Tuesday for a measure aimed at protecting domestic violence victims and two other criminal justice reforms. The bills are backed by organizations such as Moms Demand Action and One Aim Illinois among others. “These policies support those...
By Alex Abbeduto, Hannah Meisel, and Cole Longcor Governor JB Pritzker’s plan to create a new State agency to oversee Illinois’ various early childhood programs moved forward Friday, April 12 after the State Senate’s unanimous approval. It was one of 244 bills that cleared the Senate last week. Early childhood...
By Cole Longcor After two members of the State’s Prisoner Review Board (PRB) resigned last week following the release of a prisoner who then stabbed his ex-girlfriend and killed her son, Republicans are again calling for reforms while governor JB Pritzker said he will order better training. The PRB voted...
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois continues to suffer from a shortage of teachers and other education professionals, although recent efforts by the State to ease the strain have made an impact. That’s according to the latest annual survey of school officials from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of...
By Andrew Adams State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the State’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth Edison...
By Jerry Nowicki Illinois’ two main fiscal forecasting agencies agree: Illinois’ finances will see a strong close in the final 3½ months of the fiscal year before things tighten a bit next year. It’s a picture laid out in governor JB Pritzker’s budget proposal last month, and it got a...
By Peter Hancock A Republican proposal that would give citizens the ability to propose ethics-related constitutional amendments on the ballot received a bipartisan boost Tuesday, March 5 when former Democratic governor, Pat Quinn, endorsed it. “I think it’s very, very important that this year, 2024, that the people of Illinois...
By Jerry Nowicki Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois was set give his sixth State budget address this week, Wednesday, Feb. 19 to lay out his plan for a fiscal year that government forecasters in November 2023 predicted was on pace for a near-$900 million deficit unless corrective action was taken....
By Peter Hancock In a long-expected move, national gun rights organizations are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Illinois’ ban on assault weapons and large capacity magazines. In separate petitions filed Monday, Feb. 12 the Colorado-based National Association for Gun Rights and the Nevada-based Firearms Policy Coalition asked the...
Insurance coverage for fertility treatments, child internet regulations also introduced By Andrew Adams Cole Longcor& Alex AbbedutoCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com After failing to pass a child tax credit last year, advocates returned to Springfield Wednesday to propose a scaled back version of the policy which they say would still reduce child poverty...
Sam McCann, charged with misusing campaign funds, set for trial next week By Hannah MeiselCapitol News Illinoishmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Springfield – On what was supposed to be the third morning of a weeklong corruption trial of former State Sen. Sam McCann, the onetime third-party candidate for governor instead videoconferenced into U.S. District...
Lung Association rates state policies; opioid funds top $1.3 billion; ‘Made in Illinois’ program launches By Cole Longcor& Jennifer FullerCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com The American Lung Association’s 2023 “State of Lung Cancer” report shows Illinois has “a lot of work to do” to ensure individuals at high risk for lung cancer...
By Jerry Nowicki The Illinois Supreme Court has again denied a request from a Republican lawmaker seeking to repeal the state’s assault weapons ban. Governor JB Pritzker signed the ban on the sale, possession and manufacture of a long list of firearms, high-capacity magazines and certain accessories in January 2023....
Judge asked to overturn Board of Elections ruling By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com A national voting rights organization is asking a Cook County judge to overturn a ruling from the Illinois State Board of Elections and block former President Donald Trump from being listed on the March 19 Republican primary...
Business groups have long sought changes to statute that’s led to hundreds of lawsuits By Hannah MeiselCapitol News Illinoishmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Nearly a year ago, the Illinois Supreme Court asked the General Assembly to clarify a 15-year-old law that’s led to hundreds of lawsuits and several high-dollar settlements with companies alleged to...
By Capitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com The state announced 111 parks and recreation projects throughout Illinois will receive a portion of $55 million in state funding this year. The Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant program administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is a cost-sharing program between state and...
Comptroller of Illinois, Susana Mendoza, is warning Illinoisans of email, telephone and mail tax scams as the 2024 filing season begins. One scam, for example, may contain a letter in a cardboard envelope with an IRS letterhead that contains the text “about your unclaimed refund.” That letter may request personal...
By Dilpreet Raju A Chicago organization focused on drinking water sustainability will receive a $15 million federal grant over the next two years for a project aimed at jumpstarting a regional clean water industry. The U.S. National Science Foundation awarded the grant to Current Innovation NFP, a nonprofit “innovation hub”...
By Andrew Adams Boston-based Nexamp, a major player in the solar energy industry, is joining the growing list of renewable technology companies that have expanded to, or relocated to Illinois in recent months. Monday, Jan. 22 Nexamp announced its intention to spend $2 billion in Illinois, including building a second...
