Politics
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed a package of bills Tuesday that make up a roughly $46 billion Fiscal Year 2023 state general revenue funds budget that includes increased funding for education and human services and $1.8 billion in mostly-temporary tax relief. Pritzker signed the bill during a ceremony at Chicago State University where he…
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www.mjbizdaily.com CHICAGO — A group calling itself True Social Equity in Cannabis sued three marijuana multistate operators and an ancillary company in Illinois federal court, claiming the four constitute a “Chicago cartel” linked by the wealthy Pritzker, Wrigley and Kovler families. The nine-page lawsuit was filed this week in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of…
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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…
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With the end of the legislative session only weeks away, and organizers of an initiative petition campaign sounding the alarm about an even more pressing deadline, dueling efforts to legalize marijuana in Missouri face uncertain fates. In the legislature, GOP state Rep. Ron Hicks is sponsoring a bill to legalize possession and use of marijuana for…
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SPRINGFIELD – A state appellate court ruled this week that it will not block enforcement of the Pritzker administration’s mandate that certain categories of public employees either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo regular testing. The 2-1 ruling by the 4th District Court of Appeals upheld a Sangamon County judge’s decision on April 1 not to issue a…
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The new budget for fiscal year 2023 includes Gov. J.B Pritzker’s election-year suspension of the 1% grocery tax, but a few months after the next governor’s inauguration, it will be back. Grocery stores must advertise the suspension, by law, on customer receipts. If that isn’t feasible, they must display a 4-inch by 8-inch bold sign. Either…
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More than 23,000 Illinois public school employees – and 15,000 other government employees – have exercised their freedom to choose not to join or pay a union since the U.S. Supreme Court restored that right in 2018 through Janus v. AFSCME. After the Janus decision, teachers such as Derrick Crenshaw stopped handing their money to the union: “When [Mark] Janus…
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A new measure passed in the Illinois House would have cameras with license plate scanning abilities installed along highways – useful for fighting crime or for taxing vehicles for the miles they travel. Unlike typical traffic cameras that photograph plates for an infraction, this new technology records license plate information regardless of wrongdoing. Gov. J.B Pritzker insisted more surveillance cameras will…
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QUINCY — The Adams County Board voted Tuesday night to pump in another $50,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to help find people on probation find jobs. Adams County Board Chairman Kent Snider said 27 people have found jobs with local manufacturers since the program was established last September and utilizing the first…
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As debates over school curriculum rage nationwide, the Missouri House granted initial approval Tuesday to a “Parents’ Bill of Rights” that would allow for lawsuits and funding to be withheld from schools that repeatedly violate the proposed law. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ben Baker, R-Neosho, aims to “to empower parents to enforce” rights laid…
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Congressman Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville) was in Quincy on Tuesday to discuss healthcare issues with administrators of Blessing Health System. Davis also announced that he and other members of Congress are urging the Department of Interior (DOI) to help the return of Honor Flight trips to war memorials and monuments in Washington, DC by bringing back…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill — Landlords around Illinois have concerns about a bill that could soon be headed to the governor that they say gives more choices for residents in public housing but provides less autonomy for landlords. The measure amends the Homelessness Prevention Act and gives protections against discrimination based on source of income. It passed both chambers…
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In 2018, the Missouri General Assembly passed SB 564 which was designed to modernize the state’s electric grid with investments in infrastructure reliability as well as capitalize on the competitive economic development legislation passed the previous year. Since the passage of SB 564, Ameren has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in electric grid modernization…
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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers worked until the early hours of Saturday to pass a $46.5 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, as well as a $1.8 billion package of mostly-temporary tax cuts that Democrats said are intended to soften the impact of inflation on working families. The final proposals surfaced around 9 p.m.…
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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…
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At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and state-mandated shutdowns, businesses in the leisure and hospitality sector were among those hit the hardest. But now they are recovering and propelling most states’ economic recoveries. But less-so in Illinois. More than one-in-four of those jobs is still missing, giving Illinois’ leisure and hospitality jobs the nation’s…
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Illinois lawmakers are considering forcing gas stations to post a 4-inch by 8-inch, boldly lettered sign on gas pumps highlighting Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s temporary suspension of the upcoming automatic gas tax hike. Failing to comply would come with $500-a-day fines. Nope, says Josh Sharp of the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association. “This industry won’t be…
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SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the Illinois House unveiled their own tax cut proposals and outlined spending tied to recent public safety measures at a news conference Wednesday, just three days before the scheduled Friday adjournment of the 2022 regular session. Those provisions are part of a $45.6 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year…
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If the Missouri Senate debates a sports wagering bill that passed the House last month, it will likely include a higher tax rate and more money to combat problem gambling. At the close of a hearing on the bill Wednesday, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Dan Hegeman didn’t specify what tax rate on sports wagering profits he…
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Chicago speed cameras issued 2.81 million citations in 2021, sending more tickets to drivers in one year than there are residents in the nation’s third-largest city. One of those tickets went to Dr. Ramiro Gumucio – his first speeding fine in three decades. “I’m a physician. I’ve worked with a lot of trauma patients who…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – 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…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — While the past two years have fueled growth in remote work, most workers in Missouri still commute to their jobs. Some are opting for longer commutes. A new report from University of Missouri Extension shows that more workers in the state are commuting to jobs outside their home counties compared to 20 years ago.…
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QUINCY — Quincy Mayor Mike Troup announced that Quincy Township Supervisor Cindy Brink is retiring at the end of the month. Brink, 58, won her third term in the office in April 2021, defeating Democrat Bill Burns. Since she will be leaving with three years remaining, there will be an appointment to fill the position,…
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Includes direct checks to Illinoisans, expands on Pritzker proposal by $800 million SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the Illinois Senate have announced a $1.8 billion package of mostly temporary tax relief proposals that they hope to include in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget as the legislative session enters its final week. The package, rolled out…
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Illinois Democrats are floating Chicago as a potential site for the 2024 Democratic National Convention, a bid that could bring back a marquee political event that last swung through town nearly three decades ago. Gov. JB Pritzker, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth are coordinating the potential effort to land their party’s…
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