Gov. JB Pritzker delivered his third State of the State address Wednesday in a virtual speech recorded at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

Reflecting the unusual circumstances facing the state and the nation as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Gov. JB Pritzker delivered a virtual State of the State address Wednesday, calling for lawmakers to approve his $41.6 billion budget and pass laws to expand renewable energy, tighten ethics rules and close corporate loopholes.

Speaking from the Illinois State Fairgounds in Springfield, Pritzker began his speech by reflecting on the 1918 Spanish Flu, which led to the creation of a 100-bed makeshift hospital on the spot where he was standing. Noting a recent memorial he participated in to honor those who died during the current pandemic, Pritzker shared a story about an intensive care nurse who died earlier this year.

Faced with spike in carjackings, senators urged against reactionary policy changes 

Despite a recent surge in carjackings in Chicago, Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday were warned against implementing new policies and laws in response that might result in unintended consequences.  

Carjackings surfaced in a wider discussion that took place during a nearly three-hour joint gathering of the Senate Public Safety Committee and Senate Criminal Law Committee, which focused on identifying additional measures lawmakers can take to improve public safety in Illinois. 

News in brief: Pritzker to deliver virtual State of the State; governor issues disaster proclamation; winter storm causes delay in federal vaccine delivery 

As Gov. JB Pritzker prepares to release his latest annual budget proposal to lawmakers on Wednesday, Illinois Republicans are proactively rebuking the governor, calling for the legislature to “reassert” itself as an equal branch of government, as yet another Republican announced a bid to unseat the governor.

During a virtual press conference on Monday, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) and Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) called for Pritzker to propose a balanced budget that wasn’t reliant on “wishful thinking” and to be more transparent in the budget process.

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.