March 17 marks the 2026 primary, where DuPage County 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.

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.

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois and Cook County have erased more than $2 billion in medical debt combined for over a million residents through a partnership with a nonprofit that buys medical debt for pennies on the dollar.

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois municipal leaders are calling on state lawmakers to increase the amount of income tax revenue that is distributed to local governments.

Officials in several northern Illinois counties say regulating steer-tailing events at backyard rodeos is up to state legislators, but charges filed in McHenry County could prove otherwise

From Capitol News Illinois: Lawmakers are looking to further regulate alternative retail energy suppliers, tying the rates they can charge for energy to what utilities can charge

From Capitol News Illinois: Advocates for health care providers that treat low-income and uninsured patients are pressuring state lawmakers to pass legislation they say would prevent drug manufacturers from restricting access to discounted medications

Despite a weekslong delay in the legislative calendar in Springfield, Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday expressed optimism with progress on a pending Bears stadium deal in Springfield

From Capitol News Illinois: A spokesperson for Bill Clinton quickly clarified the testimony, saying the former president was referring to a trip he took with Pritzker to Africa in 2008 for the Clinton Foundation, but it was not on Epstein’s plane and Epstein wasn’t present

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois lawmakers are calling for an independent commission to investigate Illinois-linked crimes connected to international sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

From Capitol News Illinois: State Sen. Sue Rezin is hoping the uproar over road funding will create unity among downstate politicians as they seek solutions. “Downstate needs to be made whole,” Rezin said. “We need to be made whole because we have crumbling roads and bridges.”

State Rep. Suzanne Ness will host a virtual town hall Tuesday to discuss Illinois Gov JB Pritzker’s annual budget proposal.

From Capitol News Illinois: A new bill introduced to the Illinois Senate would prohibit law enforcement agencies in Illinois from hiring individuals who serve as federal immigration officers for the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs between Jan. 20, 2025 and Jan 20, 2029

From Capitol News Illinois: House Bill 4333 aims to lower the legal blood-alcohol content limit from 0.08 to 0.05 for DUIs. Illinois would be only the second state to do so, following in Utah’s steps

From Capitol News Illinois: Citing high prescription drug prices, lawmakers and activists are reviving a dormant push to create an Illinois prescription drug affordability board

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois lawmakers voted Thursday to delay the annual Cook County property tax debt sale, saying they need more time to pass a bill reforming the sale process

From Capitol News Illinois: JB Pritzker’s ICE Accountability Commission heard testimony about fear and intimidation that led to the disruption of schools and a negative impact on businesses and health care during "Operation Midway Blitz"

From Capitol News Illinois: As state legislators emphasize affordability this session, several lawmakers are taking aim at regulating algorithmic pricing that uses consumers’ personal data

From Capitol News Illinois: A recent executive order by Gov. JB Pritzker set a new goal to begin development on new nuclear power plants by 2033, with the intention of bringing online enough energy to power up to two million Illinois homes

From Capitol News Illinois: The debate over how to regulate data centers in Illinois is intensifying as lawmakers struggle to balance a host of competing interests.

From Capitol News Illinois: Providers warned that flat funding combined with rising operating costs and continuing funding cuts at the federal level could strain services statewide

From Capitol News Illinois: Two Illinois high school students worked with a legislator and stakeholders to draft a bill mandating disposal programs for electronic smoking devices like vapes

From Capitol News Illinois: Fidel Marquez, a former executive for electric utility Commonwealth Edison, was sentenced to two years of probation Thursday for his role in a yearslong bribery scheme intended to influence ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan

From Capitol News Illinois: Republicans were less generous in their assessment of the budget picture Pritzker painted. But they found some items to agree on, including slightly less charged rhetoric than his 2025 speech, which was delivered just weeks into Trump’s second term

The long-stalled legislation would allow the Bears to negotiate directly with local taxing bodies over the amount of taxes that should be paid on at least a portion of the sprawling property for up to 40 years

From Capitol News Illinois: In his eighth State of the State address, Pritzker focused on affordability issues affecting Illinois residents and blamed President Donald Trump for the state’s tight financial condition

From Capitol News Illinois: Gov. JB Pritzker is proposing a $56 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 with minimal new spending. Pritzker’s plan does not include major new taxes but would create a new tax on social media companies

From Capitol News Illinois: A Republican lawmaker who introduced a bill to outlaw abortion in Illinois has resigned from his GOP leadership position in the Illinois Senate after conversations with top Republicans

From Capitol News Illinois: JB Pritzker will propose a plan during his State of the State address to drastically limit local governments’ authority to restrict the types of structures that can be built on property zoned residential

From Capitol News Illinois: Lawmakers say a long-stalled proposal to help the Chicago Bears build a domed stadium in Arlington Heights is gaining “positive momentum,” as negotiations intensify over a bill that would freeze the team’s property tax assessment for up to 40 years

Gov. JB Pritzker will present his eighth budget on Wednesday and outline a plan to deal with limited revenue growth and significant uncertainty over the future of federal funding for the state

Long-stalled legislation that would give the Chicago Bears a long-term property tax break and pave the way to construction of a stadium complex on the prime Northwest suburban acreage is finally set to move this week in Springfield

From Capitol News Illinois: A bill that would give state insurance regulators authority to review and modify homeowners insurance rates failed on the floor of the House last year but could be revived for a second vote when lawmakers return to the Statehouse

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois lawmakers are pursuing data center regulations to address concerns about price increases, electricity shortages and environmental impacts

From Capitol News Illinois: Former Republican state legislator Darren Bailey is trying to improve on his 2022 campaign for governor by taking a new approach to voters in the Chicago area. Bailey has also echoed President Donald Trump’s calls for Gov. JB Pritzker to be arrested

From Capitol News Illinois: Gov. JB Pritzker is backing one of his longtime Statehouse allies, Rep. Margaret Croke, to be Illinois’ next comptroller

From Capitol News Illinois: With Gov. JB Pritzker’s annual budget address less than two weeks away, a new report from his office is setting the table for a speech that’s likely to be bleak in tone

Editor’s note: Today marks the second of a two-part series about automated license plate readers in northern Illinois. Thursday’s installment focused on cities' successes. Today’s installment examines privacy concerns, national controversies, and ongoing debate

From Capitol News Illinois: As the U.S. sheds manufacturing jobs, Illinois is accepting applications for $24 million in grant funding to establish training facilities at community colleges aimed at bolstering the state’s manufacturing labor pool

From Capitol News Illinois: Gov. JB Pritzker said he will push forward on his 2024 proposal to fully fund pensions and address other funding issues. Illinois remains a long way off from the 2045 target, but there have been small signs of progress in recent years

From Capitol News Illinois: For the first time in five years, certain forms of student loan forgiveness will be taxable following a change in federal tax policy this year. And those tax implications could extend to Illinois state taxes as well unless lawmakers act

From Capitol News Illinois: Those who spoke at Friday's Illinois Accountability Commission offered a number of recommendations for ICE and CBP accountability, including that immigration agents are not masked and have clearly displayed identification

As Shaw Media celebrates its 175th anniversary, we looked back at four front pages from January 30, including the removal of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich

A Republican candidate for state house has been removed from his post as secretary of the Cook County GOP after reportedly expressing Holocaust-denying views in a text exchange with another party official

Citing risks of increased pollution and higher electricity costs for all consumers, a science-based nonprofit is calling on Illinois lawmakers to strengthen regulations amid the ongoing data center boom.

From Capitol News Illinois: The board that governs higher education in Illinois voted Wednesday to request $2.7 billion in general revenue funding next year, an increase of $121.6 million

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