Capitol News
Bill seeks to enforce federal anti-discrimination standards in state law
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] 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,…
Pritzker touts $70 million plan for addressing teacher shortage
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] 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…
Mendoza pushes for law requiring greater deposits in ‘rainy day’ fund
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] 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…
One year after Madigan’s indictment, former speaker’s allies prepare for trial
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] 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…
Pritzker announces $60 million park grants, declines to endorse Chicago mayor candidate
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday announced the release of nearly $60 million in grant funding to help local governments develop public parks and open spaces, over 20 percent of which will go to “distressed” communities. The money through the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grants…
Court rulings supercharge Illinois’ strongest-in-nation biometric privacy law
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – In the wake of a pair of recent decisions from the Illinois Supreme Court strengthening the state’s law governing how companies must treat employees’ and customers’ biometric data, longtime critics of the law see an opening to weaken it. But backers of Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy…
Pritzker launches children’s behavioral health initiative
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Citing what he called a nationwide crisis in children’s mental health, Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday unveiled a sweeping plan to overhaul and expand the availability of children’s behavioral health services in Illinois. “Long before COVID-19 turned our world upside down, our nation was facing a…
House Dems’ cannabis working group will engage industry, equity advocates
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinois House Democrats announced the formation of a cannabis working group Thursday that will aim to steer the burgeoning industry’s expansion in a business-friendly way while still satisfying the equity goals of the landmark 2019 legalization law. The group is led by Rep. La Shawn Ford,…
Illinois earns 7th credit upgrade in less than two years
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – S&P Global Ratings announced Thursday that it had raised Illinois’ long-term credit rating to A-, up from BBB+, marking the seventh upgrade the state has received from a major rating agency in less than two years. The rating applies to roughly $27.7 billion in outstanding general…
Pritzker lays out $49.6 billion spending plan
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday laid out a $49.6 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year that calls for significant new spending for early childhood education and efforts to combat homelessness among other areas. He also claimed credit for putting the state back on more…
GOP lawmakers call for hearings in wake of abuse at Choate
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois & MOLLY PARKER Lee Enterprises Midwest [email protected] This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Lee Enterprises, along with Capitol News Illinois. All 59 Republican members of the Illinois General Assembly are calling for legislative hearings on a state-run mental health center in rural…
‘Equitable restrooms’ bill advances in House
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected]pitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would allow restaurants, hotels and other public places to designate “all-gender multiple-occupancy” restrooms passed out of a House committee Wednesday, sending it to the full House for consideration. House Bill 1286, sponsored by Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, is similar to one that passed…
Andrew Adams brings data, visual skillset to Capitol News Illinois amid outlet’s expansion
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Capitol News Illinois on Wednesday announced the hire of Andrew Adams as a state government and data reporter, further expanding its newsroom to five full-time reporters. Adams joins the team after a stint at Government Technology magazine, where he covered the public-sector technology industry, focusing on state and…
New law allows Illinoisans to change sex on birth certificate without doctor’s affirmation
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Illinoisans seeking to legally change the gender on their birth certificate will have an easier time under a new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker last week. “Here in Illinois, we recognize that gender transition is a personal journey that doesn’t always follow a prescriptive medical…
Capitol Cast: State of the State
Capitol News Illinois · State of the State Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, talks with Peter Hancock and Jerry Nowicki about the budget proposal that Gov. JB Pritzker unveiled during his State of the State address Wednesday, Feb. 15.
Pritzker hits the road to sell his budget plan
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – One day after delivering his budget address, Gov. JB Pritzker took to the road Thursday to rally support for his proposed “Smart Start” program to expand access to preschool and child care throughout the state. “It is important for us to make sure that every 3-…
After Pritzker’s budget address, lawmakers jockey for their own spending priorities
By HANNAH MEISEL & NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Even factoring in the possibility of a “mild recession” this year, the proposed budget Gov. JB Pritzker laid out on Wednesday includes nearly $50 billion in state spending, bolstered by projections of continued near record-high tax revenues. Without invoking partisan labels, the…
Pritzker lays out $49.6 billion spending plan
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday laid out a $49.6 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year that calls for significant new spending for early childhood education and efforts to combat homelessness among other areas. He also claimed credit for putting the state back on more…
Full text of Pritzker’s Fiscal Year 2024 state budget address
As prepared for delivery on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Leader McCombie, Leader Curran, Lieutenant Governor Stratton, our Constitutional Officers, members of the General Assembly, Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court, Cabinet Members, First Lady MK Pritzker, Second Gentleman Bryan Echols, esteemed guests — it’s a distinct honor to come before you today.…
Pritzker’s second-term agenda buoyed by ongoing strong revenue expectations
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker proposed a state budget Wednesday that anticipates continued strong revenue receipts even as federal COVID-19 stimulus funds dry up, allowing for increased spending across all levels of education and most of state government. Giving his annual speech from the state House chamber for…
Newly signed laws include creation of tourism districts, criminal justice reforms
By NIKA SCHOONOVER Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed 15 bills into law, tackling policy areas from tourism to prison reform and making it easier for people previously convicted of felonies to legally change their name. The laws passed the General Assembly in their recently concluded lame duck legislative…
Capitol Cast: Budget Address Preview
Capitol News Illinois Bureau Chief Jerry Nowicki takes a look at the state budgeting process and what to expect when Gov. JB Pritzker gives his fifth state budget address on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Capitol News Illinois · Budget Address Preview
Impending Medicaid changes could leave hundreds of thousands uninsured
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – As many as 700,000 Illinoisans may lose Medicaid coverage in the months following March 31, but the Department of Healthcare and Family Services says it is working to reduce that number and help those affected find health insurance elsewhere. Medicaid is a health insurance program for…
‘Tired of being abused:’ Watchdog report shows Choate patients forced to handle own excrement
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois & MOLLY PARKER Lee Enterprises Midwest [email protected] This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Lee Enterprises, along with Capitol News Illinois. Newly released reports from the Illinois Department of Human Services’ watchdog office reveal shocking instances of cruelty, abuse and poor care of patients…
Local News
‘He’s our brother’
. Clearing, Garfield Ridge mourn Officer Vásquez Lasso By Tim Hadac Chicago Police Officer Andrés Mauricio Vásquez Lasso didn’t live in Clearing or Garfield Ridge—he lived east of the airport, in West Lawn—but he and his family were essentially adopted by as many as 700 men, women and children here earlier this month. “Even though…
$15 million expansion for Stagg approved
From staff reports The Consolidated High School District 230 Board of Education last week approved a $15 million expansion at Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills. The expansion will include much-needed classroom space, several science labs, offices and teacher workspace, as well as a rooftop environmental learning space. The project is expected to…
Lake Katherine goes green again for St. Patrick’s Day
By Kelly White One of Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanical Gardens’ most popular features is its large waterfall, which tumbles over four separate falls, travels a distance of over 300 feet and descends approximately 30 feet before joining the lake itself on the east side. With Irish festivities in full swing this St. Patrick’s…
Orland Township offers scholarships to high school seniors
Local students graduating high school in 2023 and heading to college are encouraged to apply for an Orland Township Scholarship Foundation award. This program, launched in 1998, has since awarded over 340 scholarships to township students totaling more than $280,000. The Orland Township Scholarship Foundation award scholarships based on a combination of the applicant’s leadership…
Shepard breaks record for Special Olympics fund raising
Mostly through the traditional Polar Plunge, this year Shepard High School broke its record for fund raising for Special Olympics. More students and staff — including nearly all administrators, band director Chris Pitlik, and choir director Roland Hatcher — participated than ever. This year also featured a new fundraising vehicle: A pie-in-the-face contest. Many Shepard…
He died protecting others
. . By Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • [email protected] Like most in Clearing and Garfield Ridge, I was stunned and saddened by news of the death of Officer Andrés Mauricio Vásquez Lasso. Perhaps it’s because I have relatives who are CPD. Perhaps it’s because as a wife, I empathize…
Hale students fight hunger with food drive
By Dermot Connolly Students at Hale Elementary School in Clearing collected thousands of items in a food drive that became a community event when the United Business Association of Midway coordinated the delivery of the goods to local food pantries. Seventh and eighth graders in the student leadership team organized the food drive for the…
Wade implores Palos Park residents to stop the infighting
By Jeff Vorva Palos Park Commissioner Mike Wade has not been on the council for a year yet and hasn’t said much over that time except to talk about the business at hand with building and public property matters. But Wade came up with a strong speech on Monday night regarding some of the controversy…
Oak Lawn trustees back police, complain about threats from protesters
By Joe Boyle Oak Lawn officials spoke out in unison on Tuesday night, proclaiming their support for the village’s police department. Trustee Alex Olejniczak (2nd) served as mayor pro tempore because Mayor Terry Vorderer was unable to attend the village board meeting. Olejniczak began the meeting by requesting a moment of silence in memory of…
Straz emphasizes ‘quality of life’ in Palos Heights during annual presentation
By Jeff Vorva Palos Heights Mayor Bob Straz used the phrase “quality of life” quite a bit Tuesday afternoon. The longtime mayor gave his annual State of the City Address sponsored by the Palos Area Chamber of Commerce at the Palos Heights Parks and Recreation Department and his theme was about the quality of life…