Inmate Voting Rights Bill Still On The Table
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers could take up a bill later this month that would restore voting rights to convicted offenders serving time in county jails or state or federal prisons, according to the bill’s House sponsor. Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, said the bill almost came up for a vote during the final days of […]
New Marijuana Licensing Bill Heads To House Floor
SPRINGFIELD – A bill aimed at allowing more people from distressed communities to get into the lucrative recreational marijuana business is on its way to the House floor as lawmakers head into the final days of the spring 2021 session. “The bill will correct a flawed license lottery system that has prevented minorities from ownership […]
New Illinois Law Expands Black History Education — But How Will It Be Taught?
DANVILLE – Brennon Hightower says Black history is lacking in the education her two sons receive at their public school in Danville, a city in east-central Illinois. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hightower decided to homeschool her sons — aged 10 and 15 — using curricula she found and liked. But even that material included very […]
House Committee Moves Animal Cruelty, Expungement Bills
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House Judiciary Criminal Committee advanced several bills Tuesday, including measures pertaining to animal cruelty laws, record expungement and the study of gun violence in Illinois. House Bill 168, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Daniel Didech of Buffalo Grove, would amend the Humane Care for Animals Act to remove domestic pets from the […]