State Lawmakers Consider Lifting Ban On Betting On In-State Colleges, Universities
SPRINGFIELD – State lawmakers are considering a number of changes to Illinois gambling laws, including a measure that would lift the prohibition on gambling on in-state colleges and universities. Other measures discussed by the House Executive Committee Wednesday would legalize and regulate certain internet gambling programs, or I-gaming, and ban “sweepstakes” machines which mirror video […]
State Invests $15 Million To Fuel Two New Manufacturing Programs Downstate
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced Wednesday the state was distributing funds to two downstate Illinois community colleges for electric vehicle manufacturing and renewable energy generation training programs. Pritzker made the announcement at Heartland Community College in Normal, where one of the new programs will launch. “I’m committed to building an Illinois that is focused […]
Harris, Pelosi Make History Seated Behind Biden At Speech
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are making history as the first two women to share the stage in Congress during a presidential address. President Joe Biden is delivering his first prime-time speech before a joint session of Congress. He greeted the two women standing behind him with a “Madam […]
‘Congress Should Act,’ Biden Tells Lawmakers Near And Far
The Latest on President Joe Biden’s first joint address to Congress (all times local): 11 p.m. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has used the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s address to Congress to vow that “America is not a racist country.” Scott, the only Black Republican senator, seized on Biden’s calls earlier in the […]
LIVE: Biden’s Address To Congress, Annotated
President Biden is addressing a joint session of Congress on the eve of 100 days in office. Watch his remarks live below. The speech comes about 100 days into his presidency, and will be delivered to a Capitol chamber with reduced occupancy, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Biden is expected to detail his […]
Pritzker Enters Crowded Battle Over ‘Clean Energy,’ Utility Accountability After ComEd Scandal
SPRINGFIELD – After months of declining to endorse any specific plan to both get Illinois on a path to 100% renewable energy and crack down on public utilities’ power in Springfield, Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday entered the already raucous fight with his own legislation that will compete with at least three other proposals that have […]
Here’s What You Need To Know Ahead Of Biden’s Address To A Joint Session Of Congress
WASHINGTON – President Biden is set to address a joint session of Congress for the first time on Wednesday night, on the eve of his 100th day in office. He’ll be delivering the address later into his term than most presidents have traditionally done so, giving him a bigger window to draw from as he looks […]
Bill To Form Mahomet Aquifer Advisory Council Moves Through Statehouse
URBANA – A bill to create a permanent advisory council to study the Mahomet Aquifer is moving through the Illinois General Assembly. The bill (SB2515) passed the Illinois Senate on a vote of 56-0 last week and now goes to the Illinois House. (UPDATE: The bill is scheduled for a hearing on May 4 before […]
GOP Accuses Pritzker Of Breaking Campaign Promise On ‘Fair Maps’
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Republicans are blasting Gov. JB Pritzker for walking back a pledge he made while running for governor in 2018, when he said he’d veto any legislative maps drawn by lawmakers, political party leaders or their staff. Democrats — who hold veto-proof supermajorities in the General Assembly — are in the thick of […]
Pritzker Signs Health Care Reform Measure Backed By Black Caucus
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker declared health care “a right, not a privilege” Tuesday as he signed a massive reform bill backed by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, the last of four policy pillars introduced as part of an anti-racism agenda last year. The “Illinois Health Care and Human Services Reform Act,” contained in House […]