Category: State News

By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – With two months to go before the adjournment of Illinois’ spring legislative session, Gov. JB Pritzker’s state budgeting task may have gotten easier Tuesday. The Commission on Government Forecasting Accountability increased its revenue estimate for the current fiscal year by $575 million – yet another positive […]

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers began working through mountains of proposed legislation this week as a Friday deadline approaches for bills to pass out of their original committees. As of Tuesday, more than 6,500 bills had been introduced in the 2023 session. While many of those bills could miss […]

By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois & MOLLY PARKER Lee Enterprises Midwest news@capitolnewsillinois.com   This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Lee Enterprises, along with Capitol News Illinois. The Illinois Department of Human Services plans to dramatically reduce the number of patients with developmental disabilities who live at the embattled […]

By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com In some Illinois communities, finding child care isn’t just a routine task for families to work through, but a seemingly impossible dream. In some of those places, costs are too high for middle class families to afford. In others, day cares have had to cut staff, limiting the […]

By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois nschoonover@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday highlighted a proposed grant program that would direct $70 million per year over the next three years to school districts facing the greatest teacher shortages. The Teacher Pipeline Grant Program, which Pritzker included in his budget proposal to lawmakers, would target […]

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision restricting the ability of people to recover damages in federal court for certain discrimination claims, Democrats in the Illinois House are pushing a bill to allow the recovery of those damages in state court. House Bill 2248, […]

By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois nschoonover@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would trigger automatic payments into the state’s so-called “rainy day” fund is heading to the Illinois House for consideration after unanimous passage out of committee this week. Under House Bill 2515, automatic deposits in the rainy day fund and pension stabilization fund would […]

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com  SPRINGFIELD – One year ago today, former House Speaker Michael Madigan – for decades the most powerful figure in Illinois politics – was indicted on 22 counts of racketeering, bribery, wire fraud and extortion.  The anniversary comes roughly two years after Madigan’s fellow Democrats forced him to cede […]