Illinois lawmakers respond to leaked Supreme Court abortion decision
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois Democrats warned of an “end to the constitutional right to privacy” if a leaked U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the 1973 landmark decision in Roe v. Wade becomes finalized as precedent. “It means women who lose access to the full suite of medical advances that give them choices […]
Pritzker signs 4 laws to tackle shortage of teachers, aides
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois’ governor has signed four pieces of legislation into law aimed at easing a shortage of teachers and classroom aides in public schools. The new laws lower the fee to reinstate a lapsed teaching certificate, allow student teaching by college seniors, lower the minimum age for classroom aides and extend the number of […]
Expansion of Medicaid for noncitizens sent to governor
SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would expand Medicaid coverage to otherwise ineligible noncitizens is now awaiting Gov. JB Pritzker’s approval. That provision was part of an “omnibus” Medicaid bill, House Bill 4343, that passed through the General Assembly on the final day of the session. And while Medicaid bills are traditionally worked out in a bipartisan […]
Moody’s gives Illinois second credit upgrade within one year
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois on Thursday received its second credit rating upgrade from Moody’s Investors Service within one year, moving up one notch but remaining in the worst shape of the 50 states. It’s the third upgrade between the three major credit ratings agencies during Gov. JB Pritzker’s tenure, the other coming last year from Standard […]
Pritzker lifts public transportation face covering requirement
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker officially lifted the state requirement that face coverings be worn on public transportation Wednesday after a federal judge overturned the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mask mandate. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the Middle District of Florida ruled on Monday that the federal mask mandate was unlawful since […]
Pritzker ends Illinois mask mandate for public transit
CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker is ending the state’s mask mandate on public transportation a day after a federal judge overturned the government’s plan to keep restrictions in place until May 3. Masks will no longer will be required on public transit, in public transit hubs, or at airports. However, local governments can maintain their […]
Pritzker signs final first-term budget ahead of reelection push
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed his final first-term budget into law Tuesday, a roughly $46 billion spending plan buoyed by pandemic-driven revenue windfalls and a current-year surplus that helped the state pay down debts and offer temporary tax relief. Between the three budget-related bills signed Tuesday – House Bill 900, House Bill 4700 and Senate Bill 157 – as […]
Session Recap: Union-backed wage theft measure will head to Pritzker
Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing “Session Recap” series in which Capitol News Illinois is following up on many of the more-than 200 measures that passed both houses of the Illinois General Assembly during the final week of spring session which adjourned at 6 a.m. April 9. SPRINGFIELD – A major initiative […]
Pritzker taps former Rauner chief of staff, former judge for PRB
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday named a former Cook County judge and the chief of staff of his Republican predecessor to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. Both of those appointees, ex-Cook County Judge Robin Shoffner and Republican former Gov. Bruce Rauner’s chief of staff Rodger Heaton, passed unanimously through committee on Friday night […]
Pritzker, legislative Democrats announce budget agreement
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic leaders of the General Assembly announced Thursday they had reached agreement on a $45.6 billion budget package that would include $1.8 billion of mostly-temporary tax relief. Senate President Don Harmon, of Oak Park, and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, of Hillside, said they expect a vote on the […]
Paid COVID-19 leave for vaccinated educators signed into law
SPRINGFIELD – Public school, community college and public university employees who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are now entitled to paid administrative leave for any days they miss this school year due to coronavirus-related issues. Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed House Bill 1167 into law, which provides those employees as many days off as needed to […]
With crime a major concern across Illinois, Democrats are under pressure for legislative action
CHICAGO – House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, with his eye this fall toward becoming the first Republican Illinois House speaker in 25 years, believes crime will be a defining issue — perhaps the defining issue — that drives the governor and other Democrats from power in Springfield. “Pritzker’s going to lose because his record on […]
Without a Prisoner Review Board quorum, clemency hearings indefinitely postponed
SPRINGFIELD – Chicago attorney Alan Mills has a client on the Prisoner Review Board’s clemency docket in April. His hearing has been indefinitely postponed because there is no longer a quorum on the PRB. The client is a contractor who recently remodeled Mills’ law office, the Uptown People’s Law Center, and has a conviction for […]
What’s next for the Illinois parole board?
SPRINGFIELD – In a rare move earlier this week, the state Senate rejected a gubernatorial appointee to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board that passed through its Executive Appointment Committee with a recommendation. The Senate vote may be the beginning salvo in the battle of the remaining Prisoner Review Board appointments and other criminal justice reform […]
Pritzker pulls another Prisoner Review Board appointment, calls for Senate action
SPRINGFIELD – Max Cerda was convicted of a double murder when he was 16 years old. Cerda received parole in 1998. He was 35 years old when he was released and began working with ex-offenders in Chicago to help them transition to life outside of prison. In March 2021, Cerda was appointed to the Illinois […]