Becky Dragoo, the deputy director of the Illinois Department of Public Health's Office of Healthcare Regulation, faced critical questions from lawmakers on Wednesday. 

Lawmakers on Wednesday pushed an Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) official for answers on a wide range of topics that largely centered on the deadly impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on residents of the state’s long-term care facilities.  

The Illinois Supreme Court returned to Springfield this week to kick off its September term, in which the high court is set to consider cases that could have implications on assault weapons bans, the state’s firearms identification system and the Freedom of Information Act.  

Gov. JB Pritzker and U.S. Reps. Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) on Tuesday called for Congress to pass a federal law protecting abortion rights. And JCAR urged the state board of education to update rules over school revocations. 

Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Tinley Park) and Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) addressed reporters Monday after the Senate’s passage of the omnibus energy bill. 

The Senate on Monday concurred with the House version of the omnibus energy bill, allowing the measure to head to Gov. JB Pritzker, who has vowed to sign it.  

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) at a news conference in June. During Thursday’s floor debate, Welch urged his colleagues to set aside politics and rhetoric while considering the omnibus energy bill. 

Despite months of gridlock, the House vote to approve the omnibus energy bill on Thursday was overwhelmingly in favor of the legislation. The bill (SB 2408), which required 71 votes for approval, ultimately received 83 “yes” votes.  

Illinois recorded more opioid overdose deaths in 2020 than any other year on record. (Photo: US Department of Homeland Security) 

Illinois recorded more opioid overdose deaths in 2020 than any other year on record, according to report released last month from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).  

Rep. Jay Hoffman, Rep. Marcus Evans and Rep. Robyn Gabel addressed reporters Thursday night after the passage of the omnibus energy bill.

The Illinois House of Representatives on Thursday approved yet another version of the omnibus energy bill, signaling the most significant movement to date for an issue that has been years in the making. The chamber’s approval is set to be confirmed by the Senate on Monday so it can head to the governor’s desk.   

The House on Thursday accepted Gov. JB Pritzker’s amendatory veto of the ethics bill. And businessman Jesse Sullivan entered the race to be the GOP nominee for governor.  

Eureka College president Jamel Wright on Wednesday endorsed an effort by Rep. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson) to add a statue honoring former President Ronald Reagan to the Capitol grounds.

Former President Ronald Reagan is the first and only president of the United States to be born, raised and educated in Illinois and as such should have a statue honoring him on the state Capitol ground, a college president told a panel of lawmakers on Wednesday.  

Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a probe of the Joliet Police Department. And Rep. Mike Halpin (D-Rock Island) will run for the state Senate. 

The need for workers across various Illinois job sectors has resulted in an increase in starting pay, according to a new report from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. [Unsplash]

The need for workers across various Illinois job sectors has resulted in an increase in starting pay, according to a new report from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA). 

In May, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White warned residents about the dangers of phishing schemes. 

Sending legal notices to Illinois drivers via email could expose the state to cybersecurity risks, Secretary of State Jesse White wrote in a message to lawmakers eager to end the office’s reliance on snail mail. 

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) announced the House will return on Thursday to take up the pending energy bill. And former U.S. Sen. Adlai Stevenson III has died. 

A newly filed House bill requires Prairie State Energy Campus and other municipal facilities to meet emissions reduction goals before their closure.

Facing a Sept. 13 deadline for the closure of the one of the state’s nuclear facilities, House lawmakers revealed some of their priorities before the holiday weekend for the omnibus energy bill that recently passed the Senate. 

Jaime Clark, the director of student health services at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, told lawmakers on Wednesday about the mental health struggles of students at the campus.

Fully funding a 2019 state law would help Illinois’ public universities and colleges better address the mental health needs of students, a panel of school officials told lawmakers on Wednesday.    

Rep. Lisa Hernandez (D-Cicero) led the House discussion on lawmakers' latest redistricting efforts Tuesday. 

For the second time this year, Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday approved new legislative maps along party lines, this time during a special session to incorporate changes made after the latest decennial census data became available.  

Rep. Kelly Burke (D-Evergreen Park), the sponsor of the omnibus ethics bill, was unsuccessful Tuesday in her effort to concur with Gov. JB Pritzker’s amendatory veto of the measure.  

The Senate advanced an omnibus energy bill early Wednesday morning that included a fresh round of changes, including setting a firm closure date for a controversial power plant. Meanwhile, in a surprise development, the House failed to concur with Gov. JB Pritzker’s amendatory veto of the omnibus ethics bill, potentially sending lawmakers back to the drawing board.  

The General Assembly on Tuesday will reconvene in Springfield for a special session focused on redistricting, with the possibility of separately taking up the long-delayed omnibus energy bill and several measures recently vetoed by Gov. JB Pritzker. 

The General Assembly on Tuesday will reconvene in Springfield for a special session focused on redistricting, with the possibility of separately taking up the long-delayed omnibus energy bill and several measures recently vetoed by Gov. JB Pritzker.  

On Monday, Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Tinley Park) introduced a 980-page amendment to HB 3666, which the senator, his colleagues and advocates said represented a new compromise among the various parties working on making Illinois’ energy industry more climate-friendly.

A new version of the omnibus energy bill that lawmakers declined to take up earlier this year appeared to generate renewed optimism among lawmakers, organized labor and some climate groups that the issue could finally be resolved in the coming days. 

Valerie Leonard, founder of Nonprofit Utopia, said Monday an early analysis of the updated redistricting maps indicated the state’s Black population would see a significant reduction in representation and a dilution of Black voting power.

Hours before lawmakers were set to return for a special session, Democrats on Monday released their latest version of legislative redistricting maps, which were met with condemnation and frustration.