Gov. JB Pritzker
MACOMB, Ill. — Gov. JB Pritzker is touring the state to promote his Smart Start Illinois program. His travels brought him to Macomb on Tuesday afternoon, where he visited with staff and students at MacArthur Early Childhood Center. “Every study about early childhood says the same thing: 90% of brain development occurs (during ages) zero…
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State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) and other Republican lawmakers commented Wednesday about Gov. JB Pritzker’s Budget Address. “In his State of the State/Budget Address, Gov. Pritzker is claiming fiscal success, but it is important to remember that any improvement in the state’s fiscal outlook is the direct result of a massive influx of federal dollars and higher-than-expected tax…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday laid out a $49.6 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year that calls for significant new spending for early childhood education and efforts to combat homelessness among other areas. He also claimed credit for putting the state back on more secure financial footing. Speaking to a joint…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s second-term legislative agenda will kick off in earnest next week as he proposes his fifth annual state budget to lawmakers in the General Assembly. But while a governor’s proposal usually provides the framework for the state’s annual spending plan, it rarely makes it through the General Assembly untouched by lawmakers…
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CHICAGO — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced the state’s public health emergency will end on May 11, aligning the state with the federal government’s decision to end the national public health emergency. Ensuring Illinois’ and the federal government’s health emergencies were linked brought in additional federal funding and expanded healthcare access for residents across the state.…
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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Rifle Association has joined forces with other gun rights advocates in filing a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s new ban on the sale and manufacture of semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. It’s the latest legal challenge to the law, which went into effect upon Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature on Jan.…
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SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would guarantee a minimum of 40 hours of paid leave per year for all Illinois workers passed both chambers of the General Assembly Tuesday and will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker, who says he will sign it. Under Senate Bill 208, workers begin to earn paid leave on their first…
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QUINCY — Adams County Sheriff Tony Grootens was one of several sheriffs in Downstate Illinois to announce they will not be fully enforcing the new Protect Illinois Communities Act, which has also been called an assault weapons ban. In a statement issued Wednesday, Grootens said he believes the new law is a “clear violation of…
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QUINCY — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will attend a ceremony today where the last structural beam will be placed atop the new long-term care facility at the Illinois Veterans Home. The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the Capital Development Board are hosting the topping-off ceremony at 10:30 a.m where the last beam will be…
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At Tuesday night’s Adams County Board meeting, a bid for $700,000 was approved to replace the camera and door access systems installed in the Adams County Jail. Verkada, a San Mateo, California-based company, won the bid over two other companies. The new system will be cloud-based and replace a system less than five years old.…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – On the first full day of his second term, Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed a bill banning the sale, distribution and manufacture of high-power assault weapons, .50 caliber rifles and ammunition, and large-capacity magazines while still allowing people who already own such weapons to keep them. Pritzker signed the bill during…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Gov. JB Pritzker was sworn in to his second term Monday with the state’s other constitutional officers, promising a bold and ambitious agenda for the next four years. The ceremony was held at the Bank of Springfield Center, the same venue that for several months served as a makeshift House floor during…
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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois minimum wage is set to increase another dollar on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, making the new required minimum wage $13 an hour. Minimum wage workers are encouraged to keep a close eye on their paychecks in the new year as any time worked in 2023 must reflect the new $13 an hour…
Read Full Article CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker signed HB1095 on Tuesday, which provides a series of amendments and clarifications to the SAFE-T Act, originally passed in 2021. The bill clarifies the detention net, expands processes for transitioning to cashless bail on January 1, and offers specifying definitions of willful flight and dangerousness, among other changes. “I’m pleased that…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Lawmakers on Thursday passed a long-awaited amendment to the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform’s provisions that will eliminate cash bail when the calendar hits 2023. The measure expands the list of crimes for which a judge can order pretrial detention, adds to what a judge can consider when determining if a defendant…
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CHICAGO – The Illinois Housing Development Authority announced the Illinois Homeowner Assistance Fund is now open to support qualified homeowners who need help with past-due mortgage payments and related expenses due to financial hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible households may apply for grants of up to $60,000 — doubling the assistance previously available…
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SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker and State School Superintendent Carmen Ayala on Thursday touted some of the more positive findings from the 2022 school report card, insisting that Illinois schools are on the right track while also acknowledging that the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on student learning. “To say that these last two-and-a-half years have…
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On Nov. 8, Illinois voters will cast a ballot on a state constitutional amendment, every statewide constitutional office, every seat in the General Assembly and, in 12 counties, a spot on the state’s Supreme Court. Ahead of Election Day, the Capitol News Illinois team has – independently or in collaboration with newspaper editors across…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker is considering changes to the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform to clarify provisions related to the end of cash bail in Illinois, while his Republican challenger, state Sen. Darren Bailey, continues to push for a full repeal. The candidates shared their thoughts Friday on those and other issues during a…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced a plan Tuesday to reduce a $1.8 billion Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficit by $450 million through an infusion of unemployment-related revenues. The trust fund is the pool of money paid into by employers to provide a social safety net for unemployed individuals. The employer’s insurance premiums are essentially…
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Sens. Jones, Hastings accused of misconduct SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker called on two Democratic state senators Thursday to resign their seats amid allegations of misconduct. Sen. Emil Jones III, D-Chicago, was charged in federal court earlier this week with soliciting a $5,000 bribe from a red light camera company. And Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Frankfort,…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday that Illinois will continue to welcome migrants bused here from Texas as he blasted that state’s governor for relocating them to other cities without sharing information or providing resources. Pritzker said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his agencies have been providing little notice for incoming migrants and has…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced Monday that Illinois taxpayers will soon start receiving rebates of their income and property taxes, either in the mail or by direct bank deposits. Speaking at a news conference in Chicago where he was flanked by other state officials and Democratic leaders of the General Assembly, Pritzker said the…
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I observed several months back that Quincy says “Hello” and Illinois says “Goodbye!” A key reason? The Illinois tax structure. Muddy River News is publishing real estate transfers. Take of look at where the sellers, many area homeowners, now claim residence. An example would be the Adams County transfers from Aug. 15-19. The sellers included people from Estes…
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SPRINGFIELD – At least 60 migrants arrived in Chicago Wednesday on buses from Texas as part of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s ongoing policy to send undocumented immigrants to so-called “sanctuary cities.” But Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, both Democrats, say the new arrivals are welcome in Illinois, and they are vowing…
Read Full Article March 03, 2025
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