Illinois Politics
More than 140,000 Illinois government workers and retirees took in more than $100,000 in salaries or pensions in 2023, according to data collected by Wirepoints via FOIA. That’s more than a 50% percent jump since Open the Books counted 94,000 government members with $100K compensation back in 2018. The list includes active workers and pensioners from all…
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A hearing officer is recommending the Illinois State Board of Elections dismiss a complaint that alleged conservative radio host and political operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated with former Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey during his 2022 campaign for governor. Proft, a one-time gubernatorial candidate himself, is behind an independent expenditure committee dubbed the “People Who…
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In the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although it has exceptions, that credit is generally…
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CHICAGO — U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, who served as a judge in the Northern District of Illinois for nearly 40 years, died Tuesday night at the age of 87. Leinenweber was nominated by President Ronald Reagan and appointed to the court in 1985, and assumed senior status in 2002. He also served as a…
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TORONTO – This week, Governor JB Pritzker joined state economic leaders and Canadian business and government leaders for business development events in Ontario. First, Governor Pritzker and Premier Doug Ford held a public Memorandum of Understanding Signing where both executives made remarks highlighting the rich trade history between the regions. Later Tuesday, Governor Pritzker provided…
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Despite being ignored by the Illinois General Assembly during the recently completed legislative session, the Chicago Bears are not letting up on their quest to get public funding for a new stadium. The nearly $5 billion proposal to build a lakefront stadium complex along Lake Michigan calls for $2 billion in public money from the…
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CLICK HERE to look up how third graders in your local schools are reading. Third grade is a critical reading milestone because students need to have learned to read by then or they will not be able to absorb the rest of their education. “Students who do not ‘learn to read’ during the first three…
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This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. It was on L.J.’s 11th birthday, in December 2022, that child welfare workers finally took him away. They arrived at his central Illinois home to investigate an abuse allegation and decided on the spot to remove the boy along with his…
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A state law essentially designed to prevent Republicans from appointing legislative candidates to the ballot after the March primary was ruled unconstitutional by a Sangamon County judge last week, but her ruling only applied to the 14 Republican plaintiffs in the case who are running for the Illinois House and Senate. The law prohibited local…
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A bill eliminating the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities failed to pass the General Assembly ahead of its May adjournment, although sponsors say they hope to pass it when lawmakers return in the fall. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established minimum wage law, but created an exemption for businesses, rehabilitation and residential care…
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Justice Lisa Holder White and the Illinois Supreme Court announced on Thursday the assignment of Seventh Circuit Judge Raylene DeWitte Grischow to the Fourth District Appellate Court. “Judge Raylene DeWitte Grischow will make an outstanding addition to the Appellate Court,” Holder White said in a press release. “She is an accomplished, hardworking, community-minded person who…
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CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed the state’s $53.1 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, the largest in state history. The signing caps months of work – and tension – among top Democratic leaders in Springfield and within the governor’s office. Pritzker said Wednesday the budget is a demonstration of “fiscal…
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A Sangamon County judge on Wednesday blocked the Illinois State Board of Elections from enforcing a new law that would have prevented certain General Assembly candidates who didn’t run in the March primary from getting on the November ballot. The move doesn’t void the bill in its entirety, but rather blocks it only for this…
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SPRINGFIELD – In order to boost infrastructure spending and avoid a projected fiscal cliff facing the state in the next couple of years, Democrats who control state government are betting on two of its most rapidly growing revenue sources: sports wagering and video gambling. The industries – both legalized within the last 15 years –…
Read Full Article Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch gave added meaning to the phrase “winning ugly” during last Wednesday’s early morning hours. I’ve never seen anything like it, so let’s take a look. House members were told to be in their seats by noon on Tuesday after the Senate had easily passed the entire budget package on Sunday.…
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A bill banning what unions refer to as employer-sponsored “captive audience” meetings about religion and politics has cleared both chambers of the General Assembly. It was one of 466 measures to do so during the Illinois legislature’s recently concluded spring session, including measures targeting artificial intelligence and allowing for digital driver’s licenses. A Capitol News…
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After a near-derailment and an all-nighter to wrap up the General Assembly’s spring session, supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House gave final legislative approval to the state budget as the sun rose Wednesday morning. Despite holding 78 seats in the chamber, it took Democrats three tries to reach the 60 votes needed to approve more…
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Two days after the General Assembly was scheduled to adjourn its spring session, Democrats in the Illinois Senate advanced a $53.1 billion budget to the House Sunday night, where leaders expect it to pass without changes. The fiscal year 2025 spending plan, which came together over a stretch of late nights and closed-door dealmaking, spends…
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SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the General Assembly will go at least three more days past their self-imposed adjournment deadline after failing to pass a budget bill Saturday, although the spending and revenue framework were made public for the first time. “The House and Senate are very close to an agreement on a final budget,” House…
Read Full Article I’m not sure I’ve seen a stranger roll call than last week’s House vote on Senate Bill 2978. The data privacy bill is an initiative of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, and he was on the House floor during the debate. The far-right ginned up social media opposition to the bill by claiming that…
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A measure that would prohibit contests that award cash or prizes for killing certain wildlife is unlikely to clear the Senate after narrowly passing the House last week, according to its Senate sponsor. House Bill 2900 would ban the practice of holding wildlife contests that reward participants with cash, prizes or inducements for killing fur-bearing animals.…
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SPRINGFIELD – Authorities in Illinois would not be allowed to aid another state’s investigation of people coming to Illinois to seek abortions or other reproductive health care under a bill that cleared the General Assembly Thursday. House Bill 5239, which needs only a signature from Gov. JB Pritzker to become law, also gives individuals the…
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This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. ANNA, Ill. — Cameras in the common areas of Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center were supposed to make the troubled southern Illinois facility safer for the approximately 200 people with developmental disabilities who live there. But in mid-February, a camera…
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SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers passed more than 200 bills this week ahead of their scheduled May 24 adjournment. Many of the measures will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker, including a bill that changes how damages accrue under Illinois’ first-in-the-nation biometric data privacy law. The Illinois House on Thursday approved Senate Bill 2979 with several Republicans joining supermajority…
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The Illinois General Assembly has advanced a measure that allows students to get the opportunity to take part in relaxation activities, including yoga, 20 minutes a week. Some warn it could lead to lawsuits. Relaxation activities may include, but are not limited to, mindful-based movements, yoga, stretching, meditation, breathing exercises, guided relaxation techniques, quiet time,…
Read Full Article November 12, 2024
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