Meetings & Agendas- Chicago
- Springfield
The interim chair of the City Council zoning committee re-introduced legislation last week to allow attic and basement conversions and coach houses citywide.
A Lincoln Park alderperson is pushing legislation that would impose fines for those who print and distribute hateful and bigoted literature in response to what he said is “an alarming increase” of hate flyering instances in his ward.
The City Council gathered for the second time in a week on Friday to approve funding requests deferred at Wednesday’s meeting, including new spending for migrant care and the mayor’s $1.25 billion bond authorization to fund housing, economic and cultural development programs citywide.
The Cook County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a measure Thursday repurposing funds in the county’s recently created Disaster Response and Recovery Fund to help Chicago feed and care for migrants.
The Cook County Forest Preserve District Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to limit single-use plastics in the district on Tuesday.
The resolution (24-0209) declares a climate emergency within the county and directs the district to “limit the procurement of single-use plastics” except in health emergencies or for disability needs and include new “green purchasing guidelines” in the district’s procurement manual. The resolution also declares an intention to formally limit single-use plastics via ordinance by the end of the year.
The Cook County Finance Committee unanimously approved a proposed resolution modifying the allocation of the county’s Disaster Response and Recovery Fund on Wednesday. The resolution (24-2103) authorizes $70 million to be repurposed for food service and other costs for new migrant arrivals throughout the year, fulfilling the county’s share of a three-government deal to close a gap in funding.
In February, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Gov. JB Pritzker announced joint funding plans to assist the ongoing influx of thousands of migrants including asylum seekers arriving from Texas and close a $321 million gap in funding. The governor is seeking $182 million in funding for fiscal year 2025, and the county board president requested the board of commissioners reallocate previously approved funding for migrants.
The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability held a forum with the Chicago Police Department (CPD) Supt. Larry Snelling on April 8. The meeting included a public comment portion for community members to provide Snelling and the commission with feedback and ask questions.
Snelling provided a brief introduction to start the forum, mentioning his roots in Englewood. After growing up in the neighborhood, he became an officer before serving as a lieutenant, eventually becoming district commander.
The chairs of the City Council’s budget and finance committees deferred final votes on new spending for migrant care and a massive bond authorization to fund housing, economic and cultural development programs citywide until a special council meeting scheduled for Friday.
During a news conference Wednesday, the mayor said the delay of the items by allies on the council was a “parliamentary tactic” to ensure alderpeople get all their questions answered before anything is approved and not a signal that he lacked the votes to pass the measures.
The Illinois Senate approved a bill last week that is designed to spark interest from the next group of young journalists and keep newsroom ownership local, though the bill was watered down from a more aggressive version that would have created tax credits for newsrooms.
Small extra fees are everywhere — from credit card processing fees to surcharges on a restaurant check to the various fees that appear when buying airline or event tickets. It’s time to bring those out into the open, Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield) said.
Health insurance reform has been the dominant issue in Springfield this session and lawmakers are toying with more changes to further regulate pharmacy benefits managers (PBM).
Members of the House are slowing down the process on legislation that had been moving forward from Rep. Thaddeus Jones (D-Calumet City) and spent Monday trying to learn what PBMs do. But the hearing often left more questions than answers about the complex branch of the health insurance industry and was largely missing a key voice on the topic — the PBMs.
The House concluded their deadline week to pass bills to the Senate on Friday after passing 324 bills during the week. Measures advanced toward the end of the week included a bill to criminalize AI-generated child pornography, criminalizing sexual acts with an 18-year-old student and a ban on certain large cats and Australian animals as pets.
Gov. JB Pritzker suggested Thursday night he would favor a leadership change at the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). The House voted to pass a bill cracking down on drivers who park alongside the expressway waiting to pick up travelers at O’Hare. And the federal government recognized the Shab-eh-nay Reservation land in DeKalb County.
A bill to pause school closures in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) made it through the House Thursday as accusations of racism were lobbed at the sponsor of the bill — a message most House Democrats rejected.
The House voted 81-25, with two voting present, on Thursday night to pass Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to make major changes to health insurance regulations in Illinois with new limits on step therapy and prior authorization.
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(up to 5 members)
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