Ethics Bill Clears House On Second Try, Will Head Back To Governor
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House on Thursday voted to accept changes to an ethics bill that Gov. JB Pritzker had requested, paving the way for it to become law once the governor signs it. Thursday’s vote came a little more than a week after an earlier attempt fell short in the House. That happened during […]
Reporter-Turned-State Senator Fights For Local Journalism
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill late last month to address what he called “local news deserts” in Illinois. The legislation’s goal is to ensure local journalism survives in Illinois’ small towns and mid-sized cities. State Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, a former TV reporter and anchor for 25 years, says the idea of a local […]
Energy Bill Negotiations Head To House After Talks Once Again Derailed
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate approved an energy bill in the early hours of Wednesday morning but it’s likely to change as negotiations continue in the House, which has not set a date as to when it will return. A lead negotiator in the House said time is of the essence with key deadlines arriving […]
Illinois Democrats OK New Legislative Maps Over Criticism
CHICAGO — Illinois Democrats were poised to set new legislative boundaries over objections from Republicans and some community groups that the process was rushed and maps were drawn behind closed doors to keep Democrats in power in the state Legislature. Lawmakers on Tuesday approved a do-over of maps that majority Democrats approved and Gov. J.B. […]
Governor Sends Ethics Bill Back To Lawmakers
SPRINGFIELD – An ethics bill that was hotly debated during the spring legislative session is headed back to the General Assembly with a request for a technical change, but not the technical change that many Republicans had hoped for. Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday issued an “amendatory veto” of Senate Bill 539, saying he supports the […]
State Eviction Moratorium Stands Despite U.S. Supreme Court Decision On Federal Order
SPRINGFIELD – While the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a federal eviction moratorium Thursday, a recently-extended state stay on residential eviction enforcement remains in effect at least until Sept. 18. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its authority in issuing the federal moratorium, and a future extension of the moratorium would […]
Advocates Ask Lawmakers To Slow Down Remap Process
SPRINGFIELD – Voting rights advocates and minority community members urged Illinois lawmakers on Thursday to take more time in redrawing legislative district maps so the general public can have more time to study whatever new maps will be proposed. “We’re joining other advocates today in asking for more time to provide an efficient analysis of […]
Mental Health First Responder, Insurance Coverage Bills Among Latest Signed By Pritzker
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker has been steadily acting on more than 660 bills sent to him by the General Assembly this year ahead of a weekend deadline for bill action. On Wednesday, he signed House Bill 2595, which beginning in 2023 requires insurers to provide coverage to all medically necessary mental health care in Illinois, […]
Illinois Lawmakers Schedule Aug. 31 Session To Redraw Legislative Maps In Light Of Census Data
SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers will head back to the Capitol on Tuesday, Aug. 31, to consider changes to the legislative maps that Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law earlier this year. Those maps – which set the new boundaries for the 118 state House and 59 state Senate districts for the next decade – were passed […]
At State Fair, Democrats Paint GOP As Existential Threat Worthy of Keeping United Even As Rifts Divide Party
SPRINGFIELD – A balmy afternoon on the Illinois State Fairgrounds hosted Democrats from every corner of the state on Wednesday as Gov. JB Pritzker ginned up the crowd of hundreds with a call and response. “Which party raised the minimum wage to a living wage, lifting hundreds of thousands of working people out of poverty?” Pritzker […]
New Law Will Effectively End Immigrant Detention In Illinois
CHICAGO — Illinois will effectively end immigration detention and strengthen protections limiting cooperation with federal immigration agents under a plan signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. The measure targets local agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement allowing county jails to house immigrant detainees awaiting court appearances. Current contracts would end by January and […]
EXPLAINER: How Illinois Hopes To Avoid Summer Eviction Surge
CHICAGO — A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire Saturday, after the Biden administration extended the original date by a month. The moratorium put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September has been the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their […]
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 […]