SPRINGFIELD — Gov. J.B. Pritzker isn’t considering using federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to pay down a multibillion-dollar Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficit, and he’s watching the state’s COVID-19 hospitalization numbers closely.
“Vaccination is the leading prevention strategy against COVID-19 and all public and private universities are strongly encouraged to require vaccination to protect campus populations and slow COVID-19 transmission in surrounding communities.”
“When I ran for governor four years ago, I could not have imagined that I would end up leading the state through a global pandemic. Look, I may not have gotten every decision right. But at every step along the way I followed the science and focused on protecting the lives and livelihoods of the people of Illinois.”
Spokesperson: “Currently, there is no plan to implement any additional mitigations now that there is an abundance of vaccine available and accessible across Illinois. We encourage all Illinoisans ages 12+ to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”
“This past legislative session demonstrated true ethics reform is not a priority,” Carol Pope wrote. “The (Legislative Inspector General) has no real power to effect change or shine a light on ethics violations. The position is essentially a paper tiger.”
The Latest
With the state-imposed moratorium on residential evictions set to expire Aug. 1, the Illinois Supreme Court announced a plan that provides an additional one-month “triage” period for tenants and landlords in certain cases to seek rental assistance.
The new law, which takes effect in January, makes such a confession by a person under the age of 18 inadmissible in court if the officer who conducted the interrogation “knowingly engages in deception.”
MAGNOLIA — When asked what he farms on his land south of Toluca, Bill Leigh answered with a deadpan expression.
Come 2022-23, public high schools in Illinois will be required to teach students how to access and evaluate various kinds of news and social media they see online and elsewhere as part of their regular curriculum.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill known as the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History, or TEAACH Act, into law, making Illinois the first state in the nation to enact such a requirement.
“I think a larger discussion has to begin sooner rather than later, but we're kind of waiting on, you know, getting a total handle on the size of the problem,” says state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea.
A report from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability showed base receipts to the General Revenue Fund jumped nearly $6.8 billion, or 17.8%, during the fiscal year.
Pritzker: “For all the naysayers that always seem to bad-talk the state of Illinois, few other states can say that they have an annual commitment shared across both sides of the aisle to hash out how to make health care access for millions of Illinoisans who rely on Medicaid even better.”
“I think there are some issues around climate change not accurately portrayed,” Cal-Davis Professor Frank Mitloehner says. “Many feel methane is the Achilles’ heel of animal ag. We’re about to change the narrative.”
CHAMPAIGN — He’s a sniper from deep with a quick first step, a Big Ten defensive pest and a former Freshman of the Year.
The nation’s high court ruled against Philadelphia, which refused to renew a contract for foster care services with Catholic Social Services, arguing that its refusal to place children in the homes of unmarried and same-sex couples violated a non-discrimination clause.
People targeted by a campaign robocall from former Gov. Bruce Rauner since his first campaign in 2014 will be eligible to earn a portion of a $1 million settlement agreement that was reached in a class-action case.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker had signed 17 of the 664 bills as of Friday, including the Thursday signing of the state’s operating budget and a bill making several changes to the state election code.
Topping their list of accomplishments was the final, slightly amended passage of a $42.3 billion budget that "achieves a level of fiscal prudence not seen in our state for two decades,” according to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Under the new law, June 19 will be recognized as an official state holiday and all flags covered by the Illinois Flag Display Act will be flown at half-staff. Juneteenth will also be a paid holiday for state workers and public school employees whenever it falls on a weekday.
Several interest groups are pushing back on facets of the bill amid another frenzied push ahead of an arbitrary legislative deadline, and closed-door discussions continue on one of the marquee campaign promises of Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
The lawsuit, filed in Lake County, claims that the finger scan violates the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act, which regulates how companies can use an individual’s biometric data — such as a fingerprint or a scan of the hand or face geometry.
Says Secretary of State Jesse White: "The bottom line is just I want to make sure we find a good artist, and make sure that he will not only take the job but take on the responsibility that goes with it."
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, Chicago Rep. La Shawn Ford.
The Illinois Supreme Court will delay its transition to implement new appellate court boundaries that were created by a recently approved judicial district map until further notice.
'While I know I have not compromised my dignity or violated anyone else’s, on May 29, 2021, I was asked to take my folding chair to another table,' Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) wrote in a Friday open letter to constituents.
Governor: 'I know the Republicans are already planning to sue. That’s their goal. Their goal is just to throw a wrench into the process hoping to get their own map.'
The General Assembly passed bills advanced by the Legislative Latino Caucus that would close the state’s three immigrant detention centers and strengthen existing protections against local and federal law enforcement.
The group spoke at Colbert Park on the south side of Old Church Road, the street that is the dividing line that splits Savoy between two different legislative districts, a situation that will continue under the map awaiting Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s approval.
Passed on for the governor's signature: bills to allow for college sports betting and phase out school isolation practices. Failed: a bill to reclassify small amounts of drug possession, including heroin and cocaine, from a low-level felony to a misdemeanor.
{{summary}}