Illinois House and Senate news, Illinois General Assembly news from the Shaw Local News Network
To combat an ongoing teacher shortage, Illinois has passed a bill which will allow for greater flexibility in when teaching candidates can take subject area certification exams.
One year after Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate the use of cash bail, the impact on the state’s criminal justice system appears to have been far less dramatic than people on either side of the debate had predicted
Democrats gathered in Springfield Wednesday for their annual rally at the Illinois State Fair amid a surge of enthusiasm and a renewed sense of optimism about their chances of retaining the White House in November.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed a measure designating the “giant puffball” as the state’s mushroom after signing hundreds of bills on Friday, completing action on legislation sent to him by lawmakers this spring.
Truth in sentencing? Proposed Illinois law would mean all people who are in prison would serve half their sentences, and it would apply retroactively.
Calls of “Justice for Sonya” rang through the sanctuary of a church on Chicago’s West Side on Tuesday at a rally hosted in response to the death of Sonya Massey on July 6.
As the flow of billions of dollars in federal pandemic-related aid is about to end, many students in Illinois are still struggling to catch up academically from the learning loss that occurred when schools were forced to close.
State legislators resumed a series of hearings this week to scrutinize pharmacy benefit managers – a highly concentrated industry that critics say drives up the cost and limits availability of prescription drugs
An Illinois lawmaker from Glen Ellyn who heads a child welfare committee said the state must strengthen its laws and policies to protect homeschooled children facing inadequate education, abuse and neglect.
Illinois shoppers could have more money at the checkout lane in 2026 when the state eliminates its 1% grocery sales tax – if their local governments do not replace it. Dixon and Sterling are among those weighing their options.
The two largest privately owned water utilities in Illinois are seeking to raise rates for a combined 1.5 million customers around the state
Illinois entered a new fiscal year Monday with a bit of a financial cushion as the prior year’s revenues exceeded final projections by about $123 million.
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is urging a Cook County judge to dismiss a lawsuit members of his staff filed against him last month seeking to force recognition of their union
A new program passed by state legislators offers all taxpayers a 25% state income tax credit for donations made to permanent endowments funds managed by community foundations.
Without a quorum, the 12-member panel was unable to take an official vote on the matter within the timeline specified under law for reviewing facility closures
Few places are immune to poverty, but rural counties in southern and central Illinois struggle the most. And perhaps nowhere experiences these challenges as deeply as Cairo.
The leader of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation says he believes Illinois lawmakers will eventually pass a bill granting the tribe title to a 1,500-acre park in DeKalb County, but it may take a few more months.
A campaign treasurer for a former Republican state lawmaker pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of harassment, obscenity and transmission of obscene messages.
A bill eliminating the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities failed to pass the General Assembly ahead of its May adjournment, although sponsors say they hope to pass it when lawmakers return in the fall. It was of several that stalled.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed the state’s $53.1 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, the largest in state history. Illinois’ largest-ever spending plan increases education, human services, and infrastructure funding.
A Sangamon County judge on Wednesday blocked the Illinois State Board of Elections from enforcing a new law that would have prevented certain General Assembly candidates who didn’t run in the March primary from getting on the November ballot.
In order to boost infrastructure spending and avoid a projected fiscal cliff facing the state in the next couple of years, Democrats who control state government are betting on two of its most rapidly growing revenue sources: sports wagering and video gambling
Thousands of qualifying suburban parents could receive an income tax break next year due to the state’s first child tax credit included in the upcoming state budget.
Members of a would-be union representing staffers in House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office filed suit against their boss on Friday, asking a Cook County judge to force recognition of the union.
The reactions from suburban politicians and candidates to former President Donald Trump’s felony convictions largely were predictable, with many Republicans criticizing prosecutors and the trial itself and many Democrats expressing support for the legal process.
A bill banning what unions refer to as employer-sponsored “captive audience” meetings about religion and politics has cleared both chambers of the General Assembly, one of 466 measures to do so during the Illinois legislature’s recently concluded spring session.
As the 2024 presidential election approaches, Illinois appears likely to join most of the rest of the country in requiring that the state’s Electoral College votes go to the winner of the state’s popular election.
After state regulators rebuffed several proposed carbon transport projects over the past year, lawmakers have moved to formally ban new projects until the federal government sets forth new safety rules.
Two days after the General Assembly was scheduled to adjourn its spring session, Democrats in the Illinois Senate advanced a $53.1 billion budget to the House Sunday night, where leaders expect it to pass without changes.
Democrats in the General Assembly will go at least three more days past their self-imposed adjournment deadline after failing to pass a budget bill Saturday, although the spending and revenue framework were made public for the first time.
A campaign aide for a former Republican state lawmaker has been charged in Will County with harassment through electronic communication, obscenity and other charges.
After years of negotiations and continued opposition from service providers, Illinois appears poised to prohibit employers from using a federal exemption that allows them to pay individuals with disabilities less than the minimum wage
Authorities in Illinois would not be allowed to aid another state’s investigation of people coming to Illinois to seek abortions or other reproductive health care under a bill that cleared the General Assembly Thursday
Support systems for those returning to society from prison are limited, with scant programming for housing, education and job placement.
A measure that would prohibit contests that award cash or prizes for killing certain wildlife is unlikely to clear the Illinois Senate after narrowly passing the House last week, according to its Senate sponsor
In a scathing statement, the Illinois Legislative Staff Association accused Welch of passing the bill “to deflect rising criticism” and feigning solidarity in public while privately colluding with Democratic Senate President Don Harmon to ensure the bill “went no further.”
A technology that some say is a key tool to address climate change and others say is a cash grab for heavy industry could face new regulations – if Illinois lawmakers can find the time before their scheduled adjournment this week
Employment in skilled nursing facilities nationwide as of February was down 8.3 percent compared with February of 2020, the month before the pandemic hit.
Proponents say it's better to keep families together and provide substance abuse treatment to parents. McHenry County State's Attorney Patrick Kenneally said the decision shouldn't be left in DCFS's hands.
While the governor’s office instructed its agency directors to prepare for $800 million in potential budget cuts last week, all facets of his plan to raise $1.1 billion in revenue to avoid those cuts remain under consideration.
A new measure being debated in the Illinois General Assembly would create a tax credit for certain news publishers based on the number of reporters they employ.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is seeking $10 million from state lawmakers to tackle what he calls in naming the report “A Firearm Regulation Crisis.”
The Illinois House approved a bill Tuesday to allow student teachers to receive stipends while earning their education degree, even though the money needed to fund those stipends is unlikely to be included in next year’s budget.
One week after Gov. JB Pritzker signed an elections-related measure that his fellow Democrats quickly muscled through the General Assembly, Republicans sued over the new law
With two weeks left before the General Assembly’s spring session is set to adjourn, negotiations continue on a labor union-backed initiative that would allow Illinoisans to skip religious and political work meetings without reprimand.
Stateville Correctional Center could close as early as September under a plan laid out by Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on Friday.
Dubbed the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act,” Senate Bill 3649 advanced out of the Senate on May 2 with only Democratic support.
The Illinois House gave final passage to a bill establishing a new cabinet-level state agency whose mission will be to provide a kind of one-stop shop for services focusing on early childhood development and education.
One of his lead lieutenants this week sent a letter to the head of the state’s agencies instructing them to identify $800 million in collective budget cuts if lawmakers don’t deliver on Pritzker’s tax requests.
As state lawmakers hold hearings targeting the role of pharmacy benefit managers – an influential arm in how the health insurance industry prices prescription drugs – multiple state agencies are considering how to better regulate the industry.