Gov. JB Pritzker on Saturday called for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a federal agent shot and killed a 37-year-old man in Minnesota

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois House Democrats kicked off their spring session this week in a mostly symbolic fashion, denouncing President Donald Trump’s policies in a series of resolutions criticizing immigration raids and cuts to health care and child care programs

From Capitol News Illinois: For the first time in at least a decade, there were no fatal interstate highway shootings in Illinois last year, Illinois State Police announced

From Capitol News Illinois: If the investments proposed are approved in full by the ICC, ComEd expects residential customers to see an increased average cost of between $2.50 to $3 per month starting in 2028

From Capitol News Illinois: Gov. Pritzker’s office plans to hold back nearly $500 million in spending for the current fiscal year as the state faces constant uncertainty over the economy and federal funding. Most of the reserves were earmarked for health care and human services

From Capitol News Illinois: Rideshare drivers rallied at the Illinois State Capitol Wednesday to ask legislators to support their effort to unionize.

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said part of this spring’s agenda will be picking up unresolved initiatives from the fall, which includes insurance reform

From Capitol News Illinois: The crisis comes from changes in federal Medicaid policy that were enacted last year as part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which slashes one of the main funding tools many states have used for four decades to fund their share of the cost

From Capitol News Illinois: Convictions for more serious offenses like sexual violence against minors, DUIs, reckless driving, cruelty to animals, and serious violent crimes, including any that qualify for sex offender registration, remain ineligible for sealing

From Capitol News Illinois: The Illinois State Board of Education voted Wednesday to approve a budget request for the upcoming fiscal year that calls for only a minimal increase in K-12 education spending

From Capitol News Illinois: Some of Illinois’ top Democrats say they’re open to considering targeted changes to Illinois’ controversial SAFE-T Act this spring if a forthcoming judicial report says they’re needed

From Capitol News Illinois: At the core of the law is a structure to incentivize energy storage, or battery, projects. It will result in new charges to ratepayers, though supporters of the bill say that those costs would be offset by cost savings from greater energy efficiency

March 17 marks the 2026 primary, where voters can pull a Democratic or Republican ballot to pick who appears on the ballot come November. All voters, partisan or not, can weigh in on referendum questions.

A trailer bill tweaking some parts of the state’s transit rescue bill could surface when the General Assembly reconvenes, legislative leaders said Wednesday at a City Club Chicago forum.

From Capitol News Illinois: A new poll shows Darren Bailey holds a commanding lead in a four-person Republican primary for Illinois Governor

From Capitol News Illinois: No state leader, including Welch on Tuesday, has explicitly ruled out addressing the Bears’ concerns this year. But the speaker, who is entering his sixth year leading the House, said this session will be all about “affordability.”

From Capitol News Illinois: Gov. JB Pritzker is not making a graduated income tax a priority in 2026, despite backing the idea in principle and mounting budget pressures.

2026 marks a new capital program for the Illinois Tollway and votes on whether to increase tolls.

Illinois’ statewide 1% grocery tax will go away on Jan. 1, though many people will continue to pay it at the local level.

From Capitol News Illinois: Also beginning Jan. 1, students in seventh and eighth grade will be able to get an early jump on earning high school credits

"First and foremost, Illinois must restore a sense of fiscal responsibility," state Sen. Craig Wilcox of McHenry writes of his wish list for 2026.

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois’ electric grids may soon face power shortages and further price increases as fossil fuel plants go offline and data centers fueling the rise of artificial intelligence demand ever-increasing amounts of power.

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders cautioned members of the State Board of Education on Wednesday not to get their hopes up for any big increase in K-12 school funding next year

From Capitol News Illinois: Officials in Marion say the massive redevelopment is on track, but one of the three main developers has already dropped out, facing a slew of lawsuits.

From Capitol News Illinois: Of the sales tax revenue going toward public transportation, 85% will be dedicated to the Chicago region. New projects the law could set in motion include passenger train service to Peoria, Moline and Kankakee, and new CTA stations in Chicago

From Capitol News Illinois: Rep. Bob Morgan accused the president of prioritizing tech companies above normal citizens. Illinois lawmakers vowed to keep fighting for protections against AI after President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to shield tech companies

From Capitol News Illinois: Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law Friday that will allow terminally ill Illinoisans to end their lives with physician-prescribed medication.

From Capitol News Illinois: State Sen. Emil Jones III, D-Chicago, has agreed to a deal with federal prosecutors that would avoid a retrial and see the three charges against him — including bribery, wire fraud and lying to the FBI — dropped a year from now

From Capitol News Illinois: Under the law, gun owners will be required to keep them in a locked container so that they are inaccessible or unusable by anyone other than the owner. Owners who violate the law could be subject to fines as high as $10,000

From Capitol News Illinois: More than 700 Illinois schools are within a quarter-mile of crop fields, yet state law doesn’t require pesticide applicators to notify them before spraying.

From Capitol News Illinois: Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday allowing Illinois residents to sue immigration agents who arrest them in or near courthouses or if they believe their constitutional rights were violated.

From Capitol News Illinois: Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Tuesday that he said will protect Illinois residents from “junk science” undermining evidence-based vaccine regulations at the federal level

From Capitol News Illinois: Recent cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration could reduce the size of Illinois’ economy by nearly $10 billion each year, according to a new report released Monday by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute.

From Capitol News Illinois: The request list also included $68.5 million for implementation of ISBE’s new literacy plan, a program the board approved in 2024 to improve literacy instruction throughout the state

From Capitol News Illinois: Nearly six decades after becoming a lawyer, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has been disbarred following his convictions on federal corruption charges — including bribery — earlier this year

Toll hikes passed by the General Assembly in October will need to go through the Illinois tollway board, agency officials said Thursday

From Capitol News Illinois: Senate President Don Harmon will not have to pay a nearly $10 million fine for violating state campaign finance laws last year after the State Board of Elections deadlocked Tuesday on approving the fine

From Capitol News Illinois: The bill specifies that Metra is allowed to reach agreements to provide service outside the Chicago area “when it is deemed beneficial to the state”

From Capitol News Illinois: The governor’s office said in an email to Capitol News Illinois that it does not intend to release the state-approved funding until it sees “stability” on federal education policy coming from Washington

From Capitol News Illinois: Most state agencies were required to submit spending cut plans to Gov. JB Pritzker by Oct. 23, but the governor’s office has declined to release details about those plans

State lawmakers’ passage of Senate Bill 2111 on Oct. 31 saves Metra, Pace and the CTA from a massive shortfall leading to service cuts and layoffs. But tucked into the bailout is a toll hike that will devastate the trucking industry, a trucking executive says.

From Capitol News Illinois: Nearly 2.2 million people in Illinois might see eligible criminal records sealed following passage of the ‘Clean Slate’ Act. Republican senators raised concerns over the removal of a drug test requirement for sealing records

From Capitol News Illinois: Chicago-area public transportation agencies won’t need to raise fares, cut routes or lay off workers next year after state lawmakers approved a bill overhauling public transit, the head of the Regional Transportation Authority said

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois lawmakers passed two-dozen bills during their annual fall veto session that ended Friday, Oct. 31, including a measure that will empower the state’s Department of Public Health to issue vaccine guidelines amid federal uncertainty

From Capitol News Illinois: Terminally ill adults in Illinois may have the option to take life-ending medication prescribed by a physician under a bill passed by the Illinois legislature last week during its fall session

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois lawmakers are sending a bill to Gov. JB Pritzker that makes a pair of changes to Illinois’ tax code in response to new federal tax provisions that could reduce state revenue

From Capitol News Illinois: Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, argued those provisions amounted to a radical shift in Illinois’ regulatory environment, which ultimately would have led to higher premiums for consumers

Kane, DuPage and McHenry county mayors “remain very concerned that not having equity in voting on the new NITA board will set them up to be absolutely steamrolled,” state Sen. Don DeWitte said.

From Capitol News Illinois: House Bill 1312, among other provisions, would also allow Illinois residents to sue immigration agents who violate their constitutional right to due process and protection against unreasonable searches and seizures

From Capitol News Illinois: The bill that cleared the General Assembly on Thursday funds energy storage systems through a new charge to Illinois electric customers that will take effect in 2030. The bill also lifts a longtime ban on new nuclear power developments