Since the state began offering COVID-19 vaccines to residents in mid-December, officials in Illinois have stressed the importance of an equitable distribution. Yet for the first eight weeks of the vaccination process, little was publicly known about the results of those efforts.

That changed on Friday, when the Illinois Department of Public Health began publishing demographic data on its vaccination website that the state’s vaccinated population is disproportionately white compared to its overall population. The numbers show state leaders’ equity goals have yet to translate into equitable distribution of the vaccine.

News in brief: Welch announces House committee appointments; federal health care marketplace to reopen; expressway license plate readers to be installed in Cook County

State and local officials shared mixed reviews with lawmakers on Thursday about Illinois’ early COVID-19 vaccination efforts but settled on a common message: demand for vaccine far outpaces supply. 

Addressing members of the Senate Health Committee, officials from the state’s smallest counties to its most populous city stressed the need for the federal government to deliver more vaccine doses as Illinois looks to expand eligibility in the coming weeks.

News in brief: Welch announces House committee appointments; federal health care marketplace to reopen; expressway license plate readers to be installed in Cook County 

News in brief: Pritzker expands vaccine eligibility; Senate committee search for answers on unemployment issues

The Illinois House of Representatives formally adopted its rules for the 102^nd General Assembly Wednesday, formalizing a shift in the chamber’s operating procedures that allows business to be conducted remotely while imposing term limits on leadership.

Meeting for the first time inside the House chamber since early 2020, the usually perfunctory adoption of the chamber’s rules was especially notable due to the tweaks made in the aftermath of former House Speaker Mike Madigan’s longtime grip on the body.

News in brief: Pritzker expands vaccine eligibility; Senate committee search for answers on unemployment issues 

Lawmakers will consider allowing themselves to conduct remote business and placing a 10-year term limit on serving as speaker among a list of new rules set for adoption by the Illinois House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The proposed rule changes, outlined in a resolution (HR 72) introduced on Monday by House Majority Leader Greg Harris (D-Chicago), seek to eliminate the ability for the House Speaker and Minority Leader to serve on the chamber’s Rules Committee. They also outline a process if the leaders become the subject of an internal investigation.

News in brief: Pritzker previews budget proposal; Durbin, Duckworth back Lausch; Senate committee to examine Business Interruption Grant program; Clean Energy Jobs Act reintroduced

News in brief: Senate to hold hearings on vaccine rollout, unemployment insurance; Rabine to run for governor; Super Bowl bets soar