Former Mike Madigan and Democratic Party of Illinois staffer Alaina Hampton speaks at a news conference in March 2018. [A.D. Quig] 

Wednesday was an emotional day but validating day for Alaina Hampton, a former staffer for the Democratic Party of Illinois who worked out of Mike Madigan’s 13th Ward office and ran Illinois House campaigns for the state party while Madigan was chair. 

The House advanced several measures Thursday ahead of Friday’s deadline to move bills on to the Senate. They included a requirement that life rings be placed on public lands along Lake Michigan, a bill to allow college students studying education to become substitute teachers and a proposal to limit standardized testing young children.

Eighteen House Democrats who did not support former House Speaker Mike Madigan’s bid for another term as speaker in 2021 react to news of his indictment Wednesday.

While the House debated legislation Wednesday, news of former House Speaker Mike Madigan’s (D-Chicago) indictment on 22 corruption charges rattled the chamber and brought a variety of reactions.   

Republicans slammed Madigan and members in the Democratic caucus for having worked with him, while a group of Democrats who blocked Madigan’s election to another term as speaker gave an emotional response to the news. Madigan’s successor, House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside), said the House is moving forward in a new direction under his leadership.  

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) speaks to members of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce in Springfield on Wednesday.

Crafting legislation to address crime in Illinois remains a priority, House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) said Wednesday, adding that he expects lawmakers will be able to vote on a package to tackle crime by the end of session on April 8. However, he did not detail what form the new legislation may take. 

Gov. JB Pritzker speaks to the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Tuesday.    

Illinois is successfully fighting COVID-19 and helping the economy recover from the pandemic, Gov. JB Pritzker told the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform Tuesday.  

The House passed a bill Tuesday that would allow principals in the Chicago Public Schools system to unionize and collectively bargain. Democrats voted to remove three Republicans from House floor Tuesday for not wearing masks on the first day of session after the state’s mask mandate ended. And the House advanced a bill giving school employees paid administrative leave if they miss work for reasons related to COVID-19 so long as they are fully vaccinated. 

Grants for body cameras are a part of the Law Enforcement Training Standards Board’s budget increase for Fiscal Year 2023.

The Law Enforcement Training Standards Board is in line for a large budget increase in Fiscal Year 2023 as the agency begins work on implementing requirements of the SAFE-T Act. The board’s budget is set to have more than tripled since lawmakers passed the law in 2021.

The Illinois Senate meets on Friday.  

The Illinois Senate met its deadline Friday to pass bills to the House for consideration by advancing measures to improve employee safety at the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), clean up coal ash in Waukegan and to continue emphasizing the importance of mental health care.  

Leaders of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum present their Fiscal Year 2023 budget request Friday.    

Eleven months after the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) parted ways with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, which handled fundraising efforts for the museum, ALPLM is asking lawmakers for another increase in fundraising.  

Illinois Department of Revenue Director David Harris and Governor’s Office of Management and Budget Director Alexis Sturm present Fiscal Year 2023 revenue estimates to the House Revenue and Finance Committee Thursday.

Illinois budget officials are expecting strong revenue numbers to continue for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2022 and into Fiscal Year 2023, even as the economy stabilizes from bursts of activity as the pandemic wanes. But they also pointed to new economic uncertainty for the United States threatened by potential spillover effects from the war in Ukraine.  

Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) speaks Thursday about his thoughts on the war in Ukraine.

After waking up to the news Russia invaded Ukraine ending decades of peace on the European continent, Illinois state lawmakers offered their reactions Thursday — in some cases by proposing legislation to punish Russia and ready the state for a wave of refugees. 

Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield) speaks Thursday about legislation aimed at improving Illinois’ teacher shortage. Turner was joined by Sens. Christina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago), left, Napoleon Harris (D-Harvey), center, and Christopher Belt (D-Swansea), right.  

Senate Democrats are targeting requirements for substitute and retired teachers as a way to dilute the effects of the state’s teacher shortage by making it easier for people to become subs, and for districts to use substitutes when full-time teachers are gone.

The Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago is pictured in February 2022. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line] 

Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) resigned from the Senate Wednesday and now plans to change his not guilty plea in a federal embezzlement case.  

The Senate advanced a bill Republicans argue fails to consider patronage hiring issues at the Capital Development Board. The House passed an effort to make it easier to prosecute people who make sexual contact with minors. The House passed a bill expanding access to the Child Care Assistance Program despite Republican objections. And the House advanced a bill to create drug take-back programs. 

Rep. Steve Reick (R-Woodstock) and House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) speak on the House floor Tuesday afternoon.

Lawmakers tried to make amends Tuesday and leaders pledged to foster a more civil tone in the House after last week's debate over mask rules that got personal at times and spilled into letters between House Democrats and Republicans over the weekend.  

However, Democrats continued to scold Republicans Tuesday for flouting the chamber’s mask-wearing rules, rekindling tensions over the issue as the state prepares to lift its indoor mask mandate next week. 

Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-Glen Ellyn), left, and Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield), right, speak during committee Tuesday.

Proposals to allow electronic signatures on ballot petitions, randomize ballot name order in some elections and make Election Day a permanent state holiday are among changes lawmakers are proposing to Illinois election laws as the state prepares to vote later this year.   

The House Ethics and Elections Committee held a subject matter hearing on several proposals Tuesday. Lawmakers are proposing several pieces of legislation aimed at clarifying details about the election process and bolstering the ability to vote.

Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at an event in October 2021.

The 2022 elections are expected to be more expensive than ever in Illinois, with two of Illinois’ wealthiest people already pouring in more than $100 million this year into political accounts.

Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago), right, and Waukegan activist Eduardo Flores speak during the Illinois Environment Council’s virtual lobby day Friday.

Clean energy advocates joined some state lawmakers Friday during the Illinois Environmental Council’s virtual lobby day to call on the General Assembly to pass environmental legislation prioritizing social justice and health in poor communities and communities of color. 

House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford) and Speaker of the House Chris Welch (D-Hillside) speak on a resolution to nominate a new legislative inspector general Thursday.

The House confirmed the nomination of former U.S. District Judge Michael McCuskey to be the state’s new legislative inspector general Thursday. But instead of focusing on McCuskey’s qualifications, the debate raged over whether lawmakers were following the correct process for the nomination. 

Rep. Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago) requests nine Republicans be removed from the House Thursday for not wearing a mask. House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs), left, and Rep. Steve Reick (R-Woodstock), right, voice their objections.

After three days of trying, Rep. Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago) successfully removed nine House Republicans from the chamber Thursday after the members refused to wear masks as required by House rules.