By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois lawmakers approved the Illinois budget early Monday morning, June 1, after slogging through the night, enacting new taxes on businesses and authorizing less spending than what governor JB Pritzker proposed in February. “It’s allowed us to be prepared for the great reality we face
In response to the passage of the Fiscal Year 2027 Illinois State Budget in the Illinois General Assembly, State representative Jed Davis (R-Yorkville) released the following statement: “I voted no on this year’s budget because it is packed with tax and fee increases, which will have a direct effect on
State representative Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, voted in support of the Fiscal Year 2027 Illinois State Budget, a balanced spending plan that strengthens investments in education, public safety, healthcare, and essential services while maintaining Illinois’ commitment to fiscal responsibility. “As lawmakers, one of our most important responsibilities is passing a balanced
By Allison ClementsExecutive director,Illinois Housing Council Illinois is in the grip of an affordable housing crisis that reaches every corner of the state. Nearly 300,000 affordable rental homes are missing for our lowest-income residents. Rents have climbed to unsustainable levels, and homeownership is increasingly out of reach. The consequences are
Illinois lieutenant governor Juliana Stratton invites Illinois students in grades sixth through 12th to submit an essay in celebration of America’s 250th year. Please choose one of the following prompts for a submission:•The future I want to help build: Imagine the next 250 years.•My community’s story: How has your community
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com A “millionaire tax” proposal floated in the Illinois House failed to gain enough traction in Springfield this week, making it increasingly unlikely that voters will be asked to approve the measure in November. House speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, confirmed to reporters on Wednesday night
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com The biggest item on Illinois lawmakers’ agenda this spring is still a work in progress with six weeks left in the legislative session. Democrats are entering the home stretch of budget negotiations ahead of their scheduled May 31 adjournment while monitoring better-than-expected revenue growth alongside
By Jenna Schweikert, Brenden Moore, Ben Szalinski, and Nikoel HytrekCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois House approved legislation April 8 that would prohibit the federal government from operating a new immigration detention center within 1,500 feet of any home, school, day care center, park, forest preserve, cemetery or place of worship.
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com Governor JB Pritzker is calling on agencies in his administration to set goals for increasing the number of adults in the state with college degrees or other postsecondary credentials. In an executive order issued March 13, Pritzker announced the formation of a working group that
By Gabriel Matias CastilhoMedill Illinois News Bureaunews@capitolnewsillinois.com As the Donald Trump administration moves to slash federal protections for waterways and wetlands, Illinois Democratic lawmakers and environmental advocates are racing to finally pass a measure that would enact state safeguards. The Wetlands Protection Act was discussed in both chambers of the
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 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
Following the annual State of the State and Budget Address, State representative Jed Davis (R-Yorkville) released the following statement: “Governor J.B. Pritzker gave his annual State of the State and Budget Address. While there were a number of issues with his FY27 budget proposal, including $1 billion in increased spending
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
State representative Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, applauds governor JB Pritzker’s leadership on embracing the bold ideas for pension reform and a plan to pay down the state of Illinois over $140 Billion pension debt. “Throughout my tenure as pension chair and now pension-appropriations chair, we have thoughtfully studied and evaluated the
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 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 Ben Szalinski, Brenden Moore, & Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois’ statewide 1% grocery tax will go away January 1, though many people will continue to pay it at the local level. Data compiled by the Illinois Municipal League shows that 656 municipalities — a little more than half of
