Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) debates the budget in the House while Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) argues next to the stack of budget papers in the Senate on Saturday morning. [Blue Room Stream] 

Lawmakers sent Gov. JB Pritzker a budget around 6 a.m. Saturday morning that will pay down debt and shore up state reserves along with a $1.8 billion tax credit package Democratic supporters said will help people who are stressed by inflation.

Gov. JB Pritzker announces a budget plan with House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) and Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) Thursday. [Blue Room]

Democrats will move forward with $1.8 billion tax relief plan after the House and Senate came to an agreement with Gov. JB Pritzker Thursday on a plan to redirect surplus revenue back to residents and pass a budget, they announced.

The Senate moved forward on several bills designed to bolster public safety and help police departments shoulder costs. Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) is pushing a bill that would cap contributions to judicial campaigns at $500,000 each. And the House passed a bill to expand voting capabilities to allow print-impaired voters to receive and cast ballots electronically through their own specialized equipment.

House Majority Leader Greg Harris speaks at a news conference Wednesday about his caucus’ budget proposal. [Ben Szalinski]   

Shortly before midnight Wednesday, House Democrats filed the largest budget proposal in state history with a plan to spend about $46.6 billion through the first half of 2023. The proposal includes investments in public safety but also attempts to reduce inflationary pressures for taxpayers by freezing some taxes and expanding tax credits.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart speaks at a news conference Springfield in support of carjacking legislation Wednesday. [Ben Szalinski]

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart wants lawmakers to pass legislation to help law enforcement agencies in the county track stolen cars shortly after carjackings so they can prevent more thieves from getting away.

Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) speaks during a news conference Tuesday. [Ben Szalinski]

Five months ago, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) was held on the ground at gunpoint in Broadview as unknown assailants tried to take her car. On Tuesday, Lightford joined Democratic colleagues in the Senate to present legislation to combat the significant rise of carjackings.

Gov. JB Pritzker, seated, signs HB1167 Tuesday surrounded by lawmakers and teachers union leaders.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Tuesday giving fully vaccinated teachers more paid sick leave if they have to miss work for COVID-related reasons.

Rep. Dave Vella (D-Rockford) is joined by Democrats from the House and Senate and leaders of law enforcement groups for a news conference Monday. [Ben Szalinski]

House and Senate Democrats presented legislation Monday they say shows support for the sacrifices members of law enforcement make to keep communities safe.

Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) speaks at a virtual news conference in March about her bill to expand the earned income tax credit.

After Senate Democrats announced a $1.8 billion tax relief package Friday that included a small expansion of the earned income tax credit, proponents of legislation to significantly boost the credit say the Senate proposal is not enough to help low-income workers and families.

Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago) is joined by fellow Democratic lawmakers and advocates for a news conference Friday. [Blue Room] 

With surging crime the hot-button issue heading into the 2022 campaign, Democrats in the House and Senate presented legislation Friday to make investments in communities and protect witnesses as “proactive” approaches to stopping crime.

Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) presents Senate Democrats’ tax credit package in a news conference Friday. [Blue Room Stream]

Senate Democrats presented a proposal they say would save Illinois residents a combined $1.8 billion in taxes by sending checks to residents, creating a sales tax holiday and creating new tax credits.

A bill that would allow Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigators to carry pepper spray moved to the House floor after hitting a bump in committee. The House passed a bill creating a task force to explore safety at warehouses in response to the deadly Edwardsville tornado in December. And the House sent the governor a bill requiring local units of government to study consolidation every 10 years.

Rep. Kelly Burke (D-Evergreen Park), left, and Illinois Municipal League Executive Director Brad Cole, right, speak during the House Ethics and Elections Committee Thursday.

Municipal leaders throughout Illinois are grousing over changes lawmakers made to the statements of economic interest that public officials throughout the state must fill out, saying the new rules havecaused confusion and raised concerns about disclosing private information.

Sen. Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) speaks to reporters alongside Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview), right, and students from Springfield.

Illinois leaders should be doing more to keep students in the state for college, and cutting down on the cost of textbooks could be a major incentive for students, Sen. Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) said in a news conference Wednesday.

Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), seated in back row, presents a bill in the Senate Executive Committee Wednesday. 

A bill forged by union leaders and Gov. JB Pritzker to give vaccinated teachers paid sick leave if they need to miss work for reasons related to COVID-19 advanced to the Senate floor Wednesday, putting it one step away from reaching Pritzker’s desk.

Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced Illinois has paid off its remaining bill backlog from the state’s 2015-17 budget impasse. And House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) is using the latest Senate votes on Prisoner Review Board nominees to renew his call to reform the board.

Sen. Omar Aquino (D-Chicago) introduced his Earned Income Credit expansion proposal Tuesday.

A group of Senate Democrats are making a last-minute push to include an expansion of the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit and create other tax credits to help lower-income families with children in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget.

Gov. JB Pritzker blamed Republicans for a bipartisan rejection in the Senate of one of his nominees to the Prisoner Review Board. And advocates representing nurses from around Illinois shed light on the shortage of nurses in the state.

Illinois Retail Merchants Association President Rob Karr speaks during a news conference Tuesday with Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove), back, and Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs), right.

Legislation to crack down on organized retail theft and expand power for prosecutors to pursue charges and investigate organized retail theft is one step away from passing the Senate.