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.  

A Daily Line analysis of county population counts from the 2020 Census data compared with estimates that Democrats used to draw the legislative maps found notable deviations that advocates say back up their previous concerns.

Next week, lawmakers will return to Springfield for a one-day session to consider how to adjust the previously approved legislative redistricting maps based on the Aug. 12 release of the U.S. Census Bureau’s decennial data. 

Gov. JB Pritzker signed 11 more bills into law this week while vetoing two others. 

Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday and Tuesday signed 11 more bills into law, including measures to tighten the state’s regulations on e-cigarettes, while issuing two more vetoes.  

Kina McAfee, assistant coordinator for the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters apprenticeship and training program, and other witnesses offered ideas to lawmakers on Monday about how to diversify Illinois’ trade schools and vocational programs.  

Addressing long-standing barriers, adding enforcement mechanisms to ensure diversity goals are being met, changing mentalities, following federal law and bolstering efforts to reach out to kids even before they enter high school will drastically improve Illinois’ trade schools and vocational programs while diversifying an industry long dominated by white men, a panel of witnesses told lawmakers on Monday.  

Gov. JB Pritzker held a bill signing ceremony on Friday as he signed off on seven measures aimed at helping victims of domestic violence. 

Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday signed 155 bills into law while vetoing two measures related to private school teaching credits and a southern Illinois port project.

Lawmakers will head back to Springfield to “incorporate” new Census data into legislative maps. And Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie contracted COVID-19 in a breakthrough case.  

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin addressed Illinois Republicans at the State Fair on Thursday.

Illinois Republicans gathered at the Illinois State Fair on Thursday in hopes of energizing their supporters by focusing their attention on Gov. JB Pritzker, President Joe Biden and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

Gov. JB Pritzker spoke Thursday at a rededication ceremony for Wrigley Field.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed more than a half-dozen measures into law, including two bills aimed at protecting the state’s immigrant and refugee communities.   

Ald. Pat Dowell, Alexi Giannoulias, Ald. David Moore and Clerk Anna Valencia wait for their turn to speak at Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association brunch on Wednesday. [Josh Catalano]

Chicago Ald. Pat Dowell (3), Ald. David Moore (17) and Clerk Anna Valencia on Wednesday offered specific changes they would make if they become Illinois’ next secretary of state while former Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias focused on national politics. 

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Secretary of State Jesse White, Gov. JB Pritzker, Treasurer Michael Frerichs, Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Comptroller Susana Mendoza gathered for a rally at the State Fair on Wednesday. [JB Pritzker’s Twitter]

Democrats on Wednesday flocked to the Illinois State Fair as the state’s top elected officials, including Gov. JB Pritzker, worked to energize the party’s base ahead of the 2022 election. 

Lawmakers and parents criticized Gov. JB Pritzker and the State Board of Education for the new mask mandate in schools.  

Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed another two measures into law, including one designating Penicillium chrysogenum NRRL 1951 as the official state microbe.

Gov. JB Pritzker has signed dozens of bills into law since late last week, whittling down the number of items awaiting his action as a signing deadline looms. 

An official with the Illinois State Board of Elections said new Census figures don’t match Democrats’ redistricting maps. An Illinois Racing Board commissioner expressed hope for a return of racing at Arlington in 2023. And the Democratic Party formally adopts a new party structure.  

Appearing at a news conference at the State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed four bills into law that will provide additional protections for Illinois’ seniors. 

Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed four bills into law that he said will provide additional protections for Illinois’ seniors.  

Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed a trio of bills into law regarding prescription drugs, including a measure that limits out-of-pocket costs.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed a trio of bills into law to tweak the state’s rules on prescription drugs, including a measure that limits out-of-pocket costs.