Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday vetoed his ninth bill since taking office.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday rejected his first bill in two years and issued his ninth veto since taking office, dismissing a measure approved during the January lame duck session that pitted attorneys and business groups against one another.

The governor’s veto, however, was a temporary setback for the measure, as lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to a new version of a bill that culminated from recent negotiations. 

News in brief: Hastings to run for Secretary of State; Cook County Cannabis Commission to meet Wednesday; Johnson & Johnson vaccine headed to state.

Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly are vying to be the next chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois.

Like the state House of Representatives did in early January, the Democratic Party of Illinois is set to enter a new era Wednesday, when members of the party select a replacement for former chair Mike Madigan.

Madigan, who was first elected chair in 1998, resigned last month, causing a mad dash to replace him as head of the state party.

Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) introduced an amendment to his previously proposed bill seeking to repeal the state’s ban on rent control.

A House committee on Wednesday approved a scaled-back version of a bill that initially sought to repeal Illinois’ prohibition on rent control.

Introduced by Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago), HB 116 was approved by the House Housing Committee last month. The bill initially sought to repeal the 1997 Rent Control Preemption Act, which prohibits municipalities across the state from enacting any ordinance or resolution that would place rent controls on residential or commercial properties.

Rep. Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) introduced an amendment to a Senate bill on Wednesday that would overhaul ethics in Illinois.

Meeting for the first time this year, the Senate Ethics Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a 95-page ethics overhaul.

Initially introduced by Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) in January, SB 4 was amended by the committee on Wednesday to adopt changes proposed by Sen. Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights).

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.

House Majority Leader Greg Harris introduced an 87-page amendment on the final night of the lame duck session that provides insights of the direction lawmakers might go in terms of ethics reform.

When a late-night effort to revamp Illinois’ ethics and lobbying laws was among the many bills that failed to reach a vote during the waning hours of the 101^st General Assembly, advocacy groups, which have long pushed for change, had a surprising reaction.

They welcomed the bill’s failure.

Screenshots of members of the House Personnel & Pensions Committee on Friday, March 5.

Last week, the Illinois House of Representatives made history, holding the chamber’s first-ever virtual hearings.

On March 1, the House held seven committee hearings, with Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) noting the milestone on Twitter. “First bill voted out of remote committee in the House EVER!!” he wrote.

Comptroller Susana Mendoza testified before the Senate Tourism and Hospitality Committee on Thursday.

For the second time in three weeks, members of the Senate Tourism and Hospitality Committee listened to witnesses on Thursday calling for the state to begin planning how to restart the state’s hospitality industry, which has been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This time, state Comptroller Susana Mendoza was among those issuing the call.

News in brief: State partnering with safety net hospitals, FQHCs; New mass vaccination sites announced; Hastings outlines campaign

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly addressed members of the Democratic Party of Illinois on Wednesday before being elected the next chair.

Members of the Democratic Party of Illinois selected their next chair on Wednesday, narrowly electing U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) despite questions about her ability to raise money due to federal laws.

Kelly bested Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris (8) during a nearly two-hour virtual committee meeting Wednesday, as Kelly secured 51 percent of the weighted votes from the 36-member State Central Committee.

Top state leaders welcomed the conviction of Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd. And state health officials announced an expansion of their rural vaccination program.

A bipartisan group of local elected officials throughout Illinois on Tuesday called on Gov. JB Pritzker and members of the legislature to avoid taking away additional revenue the state allocates to cities and villages.

Speaking during a virtual news conference, leaders from Elmhurst, Hazel Crest, Highland Park, Palos Hills, Bartlett, Geneva, Fox Lake and Cary challenged a plan proposed by Pritzker earlier this year to reduce the Local Government Distributive Fund.

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.

Gov. JB Pritzker released his proposed FY 2022 budget on Wednesday.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday proposed a $41.6 billion budget that maintains current spending levels and is less reliant on anticipated revenue from the federal government than last year, instead depending on diverting certain revenues and closing corporate loopholes.

The host of financial maneuvers and higher-than-anticipated revenue collections are among the main drivers leading the Pritzker administration to boast about having a balanced budget with no tax increases, all while Illinois continues to face the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking during recent redistricting hearings, Stephanie Taylor and Wayne Williams offered support for Democrats’ plan to move forward with remapping before June 30.

Since mid-March, Illinois lawmakers have held nearly 40 hearings to seek input from members of the public about their ongoing redistricting process.

Witnesses have offered up recommendations, called to boost representation of the state’s Latino and Muslim populations and criticized the sharply partisan approaches legislators have taken during the redistricting process.

News in brief: House approves voting expansion bill; Pritzker extends income tax filing deadline

DuPage County Redistricting Committee chair James Zay testified before the Senate Redistricting DuPage County subcommittee on Thursday.

Illinois lawmakers should consider passing a law to let counties delay drawing new boundaries and potentially even move back the state’s March primary election, a DuPage County official said Thursday.

James Zay, chair of the DuPage County Redistricting Committee, made those recommendations Thursday, during what was the first of several Senate subcommittee hearings aimed at allowing communities throughout the state to offer input as lawmakers embark on the months-long redistricting process.

Gov. JB Pritzker announced a new reopening plan and expanded eligibility for a COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday.

Calling it “an exciting day,” Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday outlined a phased plan to relax COVID-19 mitigations in Illinois and announced that all adults will be eligible for a vaccine as early as April 12.

The phased reopening plan includes a “bridge” period during which capacity limits will greatly expand from the current maximum of 50 people before the state fully reopens, Pritzker said.