Pritzker Talks Plans For Unemployment Trust Fund, Pandemic Response
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker isn’t considering using federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to pay down a multi-billion-dollar Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficit, and he’s watching the state’s COVID-19 hospitalization numbers closely. Those were two of the topics discussed during a 10-minute interview with Capitol News Illinois on Wednesday as part of a two-day […]
Gov. Pritzker Announces Re-Election Campaign; Faces Many GOP Opponents
URBANA – J.B. Pritzker announced Monday he will seek a second term as governor of Illinois. The politician will face a Democratic primary challenger and at least three Republican opponents who have already announced their intentions to run for his seat. Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton will also seek re-election. In 2018, Pritzker defeated incumbent Republican […]
Media Literacy Requirement, Animal Products Ban Among Latest 53 Bills Signed By Pritzker
SPRINGFIELD — Public high schools in Illinois will soon be required to teach students how to access and evaluate various kinds of news and social media they see online and elsewhere as part of their regular curriculum. That was among the 53 bills that Gov. JB Pritzker signed on Friday, July 9, bringing the total […]
College Athletes Can Be Paid For Name And Likeness In Illinois Starting Thursday
SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers, collegiate athletes and athletic directors from some of the state’s most prominent universities on Tuesday hailed the governor’s signing of a bill allowing college athletes to be paid for the use of their name and likeness as innovative and equity-centric. University of Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman called Gov. JB Pritzker’s signing […]
State Lawmaker Faces Renewed Challenges Over Calumet City Mayoral Election
SPRINGFIELD — State Rep. Thaddeus Jones, who was elected Calumet City mayor in April, is facing a challenge to his mayorship that is based on a municipal referendum that prohibits a Calumet City mayor from also serving as a state representative. But Jones, a Calumet City Democrat, said a recently enacted state law ends any […]
Measure Letting Pharmacists Dole Out Birth Control Without Doctor’s Visit Awaiting Pritzker’s Signature
SPRINGFIELD – The General Assembly on Monday sent Gov. JB Pritzker a bill that would allow pharmacists to hand out hormonal birth control to a patient who has not seen a doctor. State Rep. Michelle Mussman (D, Schaumburg) sponsored the measure, which she said would boost access to birth control and limit unintended pregnancies. According […]
Fitch Upgrades Illinois’ Credit Outlook To ‘Positive’
SPRINGFIELD – Fitch Ratings, one of three credit rating agencies that grade Illinois bonds, has upgraded its credit outlook for the state from “negative” to “positive.” Although the state’s overall rating remains at near-junk status at BBB-, the agency said the state’s economic outlook coming out of the pandemic, combined with the recently-enacted budget, are […]
Legislative Proposal Would Allow Noncitizens To Vote In School Board Elections
A proposal in the Illinois Senate would allow noncitizens to vote in local school board elections. But even supporters of the proposal say the legislation is not yet ready for primetime. Since at least 1996, it has been illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. Certain municipalities across the country, however, have allowed the practice for […]
U.S. VA, Pritzker Promise Fix For Veterans Initially Left Out Of Ill. Vaccine Lottery
SPRINGFIELD – The U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs is deploying a fix so the more than 89,000 veterans, veteran spouses and others who received their COVID vaccines at federal VA facilities have a chance at winning Illinois’ vaccine lottery. Gov. JB Pritzker last week announced Illinois’ “All In For The Win” lottery promotion, which will give […]
Lawmakers Approve Proposal To Allow Sex Workers To Expunge Past Felony Prostitution Convictions
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois General Assembly this spring approved a proposal to allow sex workers’ criminal charges expunged from their records for convictions dating back to when prostitution was classified as a felony in Illinois. Back in 2013, Illinois reduced a prostitution conviction down to a Class A misdemeanor. Despite no longer being considered a felony offense, a […]
More Than 660 Bills Will Head To Pritzker After Legislative Session
SPRINGFIELD – With the first year of the 102nd General Assembly mostly wrapped up, lawmakers as of Friday had officially passed 664 bills through both houses for eventual consideration by the governor. Gov. JB Pritzker had signed 17 of them as of Friday, including the Thursday signing of the state’s operating budget and a bill making […]
Vaccinated Illinoisans Automatically Entered Into $10 Million Lottery
SPRINGFIELD – Any vaccinated Illinoisan will be automatically entered into a lottery for $10 million in prizes without having to take any extra steps to enter. Gov. JB Pritzker announced the “all in for the win” vaccine lottery at an event in Chicago, noting it would award $7 million in cash prizes for adults 18 […]
‘Juneteenth’ Becomes Official State Holiday
SPRINGFIELD – The day that marks the anniversary of the day in 1865 when some of the last enslaved Americans learned that they had been freed is now an official state holiday in Illinois. At a bill signing ceremony in front of a signed copy of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, Gov. JB Pritzker signed House […]
State Supreme Court Pauses Transition To New Appellate Districts
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Supreme Court will delay its transition to implement new appellate court boundaries that were created by a recently approved judicial district map until further notice. “Appeals and other matters shall continue to be filed in the judicial districts as they existed on June 3, 2021, until further order of the Court,” […]
While States Restrict Voting, Illinois Would Expand Access
SPRINGFIELD — For Illinois, the changes to voting law that legislators made in the final hours of their legislative session this week seemed innocuous. In some cases — voting by mail, allowing jail inmates awaiting trial to cast ballots — are affirmation or expansion of practices already put to the test. But they present an […]