Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago) presents a bill in the Senate Labor Committee on Wednesday. [Blue Room Stream]   

It’s often said the most treacherous subjects to broach with any audience are politics and religion. Under a bill advanced by a Senate committee on Wednesday, employees would no longer be required to sit through a meeting that features those two topics.  

Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) presents the plan for the Chicago elected school board on Thursday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

After years of debate, and more recently months of disagreement over implementation, plans have been finalized by the General Assembly to establish an elected school board in Chicago for the first time in almost 30 years.  

Chicago Police officers oversee a protest. [Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago] 

Just two weeks after the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Board of Education unanimously voted to ban police officers from CPS, a House committee advanced a measure that would put decisions about school resource officers (SRO) back in the hands of Local School Councils (LSC).  

Gov. JB Pritzker is celebrating plans by electric vehicle maker Rivian to build their newest vehicle model in Normal. Senate Republicans want to establish a new reporting requirement for all spending on asylum seekers. And House Republicans presented a package to fight against human trafficking.  

Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Westchester) holds a news conference in Springfield on Wednesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

A new report on funding disparities in higher education in Illinois could lead lawmakers to make changes to how the state funds colleges and universities, which has historically not kept pace with inflation.  

The House is set to take a final vote on a bill to set the parameters for the Chicago school board election in November. And Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Caledonia) is pushing a bill that could charge online platforms a fee for sharing news articles in hopes of boosting revenue for local news organizations.  

Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) speaks in the Senate Executive Committee on Tuesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Senators conceded a victory to the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) on Tuesday by approving the union and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s preferred plan to allow the mayor to appoint half of Chicago’s elected school board.  

The Illinois Capitol 

A Senate committee advanced a bill that would increase protections for wetlands in Illinois and establish a statewide protection policy after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling last year narrowing the scope of a federal water protection law. 

Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) speaks in the Senate Executive Committee in November. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]      

The long saga of establishing an elected school board in Chicago will begin coming to an end on Tuesday as a top Senate committee is set to vote on a plan agreed to by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to appoint half the board in November.  

The Illinois Capitol 

Seven legislative districts with primary elections this month will have a new representative next spring. Though the November election is still eight months away, candidates in the districts without incumbents running are fundraising to position themselves for a seat in the General Assembly in 2025.