Deal Reported To Be Near On Energy Overhaul Package
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers are staying open for business as they await a possible deal on a sweeping energy proposal that would keep the state’s fleet of nuclear power plants online while providing incentives for development of more wind and solar generation. Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, issued a statement Tuesday saying he had […]
Energy Working Groups Continue Amid New Indictment
SPRINGFIELD – Nearly 50 legislators identifying as the Illinois Legislative Green Caucus signed a letter Wednesday asking leadership to make equity and utility accountability the foundation of an energy overhaul bill expected before the General Assembly adjourns May 31. “For too long, utilities have dictated energy policy in Illinois. It is imperative that this time […]
What’s In Store For Businesses In A Post-COVID Illinois? Legislature’s ‘Four Tops’ Weigh In
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois’ economy was humming along last winter, a few years removed from the state’s two-year budget impasse in which Illinois’ unpaid bill backlog climbed to nearly $17 billion, and finally experiencing the kind of growth that had eluded the state for years after the Great Recession. But then COVID-19 hit. Gov. JB Pritzker […]
IL House To Review Capitol Artifacts For Offensive Depictions
SPRINGFIELD — An Illinois House task force will review artifacts in the state Capitol for their depiction of historical figures with racist or other objectionable traits. House Speaker Chris Welch on Wednesday announced the Statue and Monument Review Task Force. The review follows last summer’s removal of a Capitol statue of Stephen A. Douglas. Douglas […]
Speaker Welch Releases Committee Assignments, February Session Plans
SPRINGFIELD — On Thursday, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced the committees and their respective chairs for the 102nd General Assembly, including the addition of six new committees. The committee announcement comes as Welch canceled all but one of the House session days that had been set for next month. Lawmakers in the House […]
Welch Sworn In As House Speaker, Ending Madigan’s Decades-Long Hold On Illinois Politics
SPRINGFIELD – Former House Speaker Mike Madigan is now merely State Rep. Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) for the first time in nearly four decades as the embattled Democratic leader passed the gavel on to new Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) Wednesday. Welch becomes Illinois’ first Black House speaker — a milestone celebrated by groups statewide in […]