Rep. Kelly Burke (D-Evergreen Park), the sponsor of the omnibus ethics bill, was unsuccessful Tuesday in her effort to concur with Gov. JB Pritzker’s amendatory veto of the measure.  

The Senate advanced an omnibus energy bill early Wednesday morning that included a fresh round of changes, including setting a firm closure date for a controversial power plant. Meanwhile, in a surprise development, the House failed to concur with Gov. JB Pritzker’s amendatory veto of the omnibus ethics bill, potentially sending lawmakers back to the drawing board.  

The General Assembly on Tuesday will reconvene in Springfield for a special session focused on redistricting, with the possibility of separately taking up the long-delayed omnibus energy bill and several measures recently vetoed by Gov. JB Pritzker. 

The General Assembly on Tuesday will reconvene in Springfield for a special session focused on redistricting, with the possibility of separately taking up the long-delayed omnibus energy bill and several measures recently vetoed by Gov. JB Pritzker.  

On Monday, Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Tinley Park) introduced a 980-page amendment to HB 3666, which the senator, his colleagues and advocates said represented a new compromise among the various parties working on making Illinois’ energy industry more climate-friendly.

A new version of the omnibus energy bill that lawmakers declined to take up earlier this year appeared to generate renewed optimism among lawmakers, organized labor and some climate groups that the issue could finally be resolved in the coming days. 

Valerie Leonard, founder of Nonprofit Utopia, said Monday an early analysis of the updated redistricting maps indicated the state’s Black population would see a significant reduction in representation and a dilution of Black voting power.

Hours before lawmakers were set to return for a special session, Democrats on Monday released their latest version of legislative redistricting maps, which were met with condemnation and frustration.  

After a House Redistricting Committee in Collinsville on Friday, Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) tweeted an image of empty chairs.   

Lawmakers on the House and Senate redistricting committees continued a series of public hearings over the weekend, listening to 15 witnesses offer testimony during nearly four hours of hearings ahead of Tuesday’s special session. 

Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday issued two more vetoes, outright rejecting one measure related to ambulance services while calling for the legislature to make a technical change to a controversial omnibus ethics bill. The governor also signed dozens of other bills on Friday.  

Former state Sen. Miguel del Valle said Thursday he would have voted no on Democrats’ redistricting plan if he were still a member of the legislature.  

Meeting for the first time since lawmakers approved new legislative maps in May, members of the House and Senate redistricting committees on Thursday gathered in Chicago to re-engage the public as the legislature looks to incorporate new census data.  

Gov. JB Pritzker speaking in a news conference on Thursday

Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday announced a series of actions aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19, including a statewide mask mandate for indoor activities and a vaccination requirement for all health care workers, teachers and students in the state.  

Faith Colson, who was abused by a Schaumburg teacher when she was in high school 20 years ago, encouraged a Senate committee on Wednesday to pass a bill that closes loopholes that protect sexual predators of school-aged children. 

Illinois needs to adopt a law that closes loopholes that protect sexual predators of school-aged children, advocates told a Senate committee on Wednesday. 

 

Michael Strautmanis, the executive vice president for civic engagement at the Obama Foundation, and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin expressed support Wednesday for adding a statue of President Barack Obama to the grounds of the state Capitol.

House lawmakers on Wednesday continued their discussion about the statues and monuments on state property by floating the idea of creating a statue for former state legislator and President Barack Obama on the Capitol grounds.