Emphasizing the need to responsibly prioritize resources on the issues families are concerned about, State representative Matt Hanson, D-Aurora, backed a compassionate and responsible budget that fully funds support for classrooms, local police departments, and lifesaving health care residents depend on. “The budget is an opportunity for us to outline
By Peter Hancock Immigrants in Illinois with or without permission from U.S. immigration authorities will soon be able to obtain standard driver’s licenses that can be used for identification. Governor JB Pritzker Friday, June 30 signed House Bill 3882, which will phase out the “Temporary Visitor Driver’s License,” or TVDL,
By Jerry Nowicki A new State fiscal year will begin July 1, ushering in the reinstatement of a one percent tax on groceries and a second increase to the State’s motor fuel tax in 2023. Amid record-high inflation last spring, the General Assembly temporarily waived Illinois’ grocery tax for the
Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) announced Monday, June 26 Illinois has received a $12,299,377 grant from the Biden-Harris Administration’s infrastructure law to put new American-built buses on the road and improve transit service in their community. The grants, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration, were made possible
By Peter Hancock Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation Monday, June 12 that seeks to protect public and school libraries from pressure to ban, remove, or restrict access to books based on partisan or doctrinal disapproval. Speaking at the Harold Washington Library Center in downtown Chicago, Pritzker said there were 67
By Andrew Adams Lawmakers in Springfield have unanimously approved a measure that would place new restrictions on the red-light and speed camera industry’s involvement in State and local elections and government. House Bill 3903 would ban automatic traffic enforcement companies or their officers from donating to candidates for public office
By Hannah Meisel Catholic dioceses in Illinois failed to disclose hundreds of abusive clerics before the State opened what would become a years-long investigation into sex abuse within the Church, Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Tuesday. Included in a scathing 700-page report published by Raoul’s office at the end of
By Andrew Adams and Hannah Meisel As the State General Assembly prepares to wrap up its Spring legislative session this week, Democratic Party lawmakers are advancing a bill that would mandate job postings to include a salary range in a move they say would promote equity within the workplace. Meanwhile,
A bill set to improve military and Department of Revenue processes for requesting and fulfilling sales tax exemptions will go to the governor’s desk. The measure sponsored by State representative Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) passed the House recently. “The men and women serving in our armed forces have made significant personal
By Nika Schoonover Ride-share companies such as Uber and Lyft would be subject to the same level of liability as other forms of public transportation under a measure moving through the General Assembly. House Bill 2231 would classify ride-shares as “common carriers,” meaning the companies can be held liable, rather
By State rep. Dagmara Avelar and State rep. Ryan Spain All around Illinois, the signs of change are apparent. The COVID-19 pandemic changed our economy, how we live and work, and how working-class and lower-income families struggle day to day. We come together to argue for a solution to one
By Peter Hancock Some Illinois lawmakers are calling for a review of one of the tests prospective teachers must pass in order to be licensed in Illinois. The test is known as the Teacher Performance Assessment, or “edTPA,” and it is intended to determine whether a prospective teacher has the
The Montgomery Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced that executive director, Charlene Coulombe, stepped away from her role March 31 after almost 14 years of service. “We are grateful for Charlene’s hard work and dedication. She will be missed tremendously,” said MEDC Board president, Suzette Murray. During her tenure, Ms Coulombe
The family of Deacon Bruce Watermman gathered under the new street sign dedicated in his honor.
By Nika Schoonover On his latest marketing tour to sell his State budget plan, governor JB Pritzker visited a community college in Normal Tuesday, March 14 to highlight his proposed investments in higher education. “With an additional $100 million directed to the (Monetary Award Program) grant program, a student can
By Peter Hancock Moody’s Investors Service announced Tuesday, March 14 that it has upgraded Illinois’ bond rating to A3, up from Baa1, marking the eighth credit upgrade the State has received in less than two years. Moody’s is now the second major rating agency to put Illinois in the ‘A’
By Hannah Meisel In the wake of a pair of recent decisions from the Illinois Supreme Court strengthening the State’s law governing how companies must treat employees’ and customers’ biometric data, longtime critics of the law see an opening to weaken it. But backers of Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act
By Nika Schoonover Governor JB Pritzker Friday, Feb. 10 signed 15 bills into law, tackling policy areas from tourism to prison reform and making it easier for those previously convicted of felonies to legally change their names. The laws passed the General Assembly in their recently concluded lame duck legislative
By Jerry Nowicki Governor JB Pritzker’s second-term legislative agenda will begin in earnest next week when he proposes his fifth annual State budget to lawmakers in the General Assembly. Although a governor’s proposal usually provides framework for the State’s annual spending plan, it rarely makes it through the General Assembly
By Jerry Nowicki Sustained higher-than-predicted State tax revenues have in recent months given lawmakers a level of budgeting flexibility that is, at least in modern times, without precedent in a State with a reputation for perilous finances. For the current fiscal year and the one prior to it, that’s led
