House To Return To Springfield Thursday For Further Energy Negotiations
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House is scheduled to return to Springfield Thursday to try again at passing an elusive energy regulation overhaul days after the governor’s office announced support for a new proposal. It’s the latest push for a legislative accomplishment that has eluded Gov. JB Pritzker in his three years in office, and it’s […]
News Special: Redistricting In Illinois
SPRINGFIELD – It happens once a decade. Political boundaries are redrawn. The impact is huge. It will dictate who represents you in congress, the Illinois legislature and many other offices. It will also help determine what government decisions are made. Still, many voters are unclear about the process and its importance. The new maps are […]
Illinois House Passes Bipartisan Ban On Deceptive Interrogation Of Minors
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House unanimously passed a bipartisan juvenile justice reform Saturday that outlaws the use of deceptive interrogation techniques on minors. The measure, contained in amendments to Senate Bill 2122, makes confessions by minors in custody inadmissible if they were obtained by “a law enforcement officer or juvenile officer (that) knowingly engages in deception.” […]
Illinois General Assembly Passes Hundreds of Bills As Session End Approaches
SPRINGFIELD — The state Senate and House passed more than 750 bills between them last week, addressing isolated timeouts in schools, youth vaping, teaching Muslim history, the commemoration of Juneteenth and automatic voter registration in prisons, among other topics. Friday was the deadline for the General Assembly to pass bills out of each chamber, for […]
House Passes Bill Reducing Barriers To Telehealth
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House passed a bill Friday which would make COVID-19-related expansions to telehealth services permanent through state statute. House Bill 3498, introduced by Rep. Deb Conroy, D-Villa Park, aims to reduce barriers in access to virtual and telehealth services and would bring standards for virtual care in line with physical health services. […]
217 Today: April 23, 2021
Friday, April 23, 2021 Today’s headlines: Illinoisans who want to own guns would have to be fingerprinted before getting or renewing their concealed carry license under a measure advancing in the Illinois House. The Illinois House Thursday night voted unanimously to pass a measure ending the use of isolation time out rooms in schools and […]
Illinois House OKs Bill To License Professional Midwives
SPRINGFIELD — The certified professional midwife profession in Illinois moved one step closer to becoming an officially licensed occupation on Thursday with the passage of House Bill 3401. HB 3401 creates the Licensed Certified Professional Midwife Practice Act, which would license individuals who perform out-of-hospital births and have earned the credentials associated with being a professional […]
Vote-By-Mail, Curbside Voting Expansion Passes House
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House passed a bill Thursday that would make permanent some vote-by-mail and curbside voting expansions that the state adopted ahead of the 2020 presidential election due to the COVID-19 pandemic. House Bill 1871, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Katie Stuart, of Edwardsville, passed 70-41, and takes effect immediately. Under the bill, Illinois […]
Mandatory K-12 Sex Education Bill Advances In House
SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois House committee advanced a bill Wednesday that would mandate all public school districts in the state provide a comprehensive, age-appropriate curriculum on sex education, sexual abuse awareness and healthy relationships for all grades, K-12. Illinois currently has a law that leaves the option of teaching sex education up to the discretion […]
Illinois House Adopts New Rules On Partisan Lines
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House adopted new rules on Wednesday that Democrats say are intended to make the legislative process more transparent, but Republicans argue they don’t go far enough in reforming how the General Assembly operates. The new rules represent one of the first attempts by newly-elected House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch to break from the […]
GOP Lawmakers Introduce ‘Fair Maps’ Legislation
SPRINGFIELD – Republicans in the Illinois House said Tuesday that they hope to use legislation, instead of a constitutional amendment, to change the way state legislative and congressional district lines are redrawn every 10 years. The so-called “fair maps” proposal would authorize the General Assembly to set up an independent, nonpartisan commission to redraw the […]
News Around Illinois – May 22, 2020
Pritzker Says No Decision Yet On Holding State Fairs This Summer SPRINGFIELD – Governor J.B. Pritzker says no decision has been made yet on whether Illinois’ two state fairs can be held safely this summer. Illinois’ two fairs are scheduled for later in the summer: August 13-23 for the Illinois State Fair in Springfield and […]
News Around Illinois – February 26, 2020
Special House Committee Challenges Newcomer SPRINGFIELD – On Tuesday, the Illinois House formally began investigating the appointment process used to replace former State Rep. Luis Arroyo. The Chicago Democrat resigned from office last fall after he was arrested for allegedly attempting to bribe a state senator. But two lawmakers are challenging the qualifications of his […]