By JERRY NOWICKICapitol News Illinoisjnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The state’s highest court heard arguments Tuesday in a case that could drastically alter the legal landscape for criminal defendants who are incarcerated as they await trial. It’s the latest development in the ongoing legal challenge to the pretrial detention provisions of the SAFE-T […]
By NIKA SCHOONOVERCapitol News Illinoisnschoonover@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 208 into law Monday, ensuring at least 40 hours of paid leave for Illinois workers. Effective Jan. 1, 2024, workers will begin to earn paid leave on their first day at a rate of one hour of leave for […]
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Parents who make money posting videos of their children on social media channels may soon be legally required to share that revenue with their kids. The Illinois Senate Labor Committee this week unanimously approved a bill that would guarantee children a right to a percentage […]
By ANDREW ADAMSCapitol News Illinoisaadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Religious and environmental ideals are at odds for some in the ongoing debate around what to do with human remains. A proposal at the Illinois Statehouse would legalize and regulate “natural organic reduction,” a process in which human remains are rapidly decomposed into […]
By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court agreed this week to fast-track the state’s appeal of a Macon County judge’s ruling against parts of a recently passed state ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Lawmakers passed the ban during a lame duck session in January […]
By NIKA SCHOONOVERCapitol News Illinoisnschoonover@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 […]
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 obligation, or […]
By NIKA SCHOONOVERCapitol News Illinoisnschoonover@capitolnewsillinois.com 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 […]
By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com 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 […]
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Five years ago this month, Illinois lawmakers passed legislation that overhauled the way public schools in the state are funded. The so-called Evidence Based Funding formula, or EBF, was designed to calculate the actual cost for each district to provide the […]
