A controversial bill that brought the gas stoves debate to Illinois fell short in the House. The Senate passed a bill that would ban smoking e-cigarettes in indoor places in the same way as other tobacco products. The Senate also passed a bill to start the process for designing a new flag. 

The bill prohibits libraries from banning books. (Hannah Meisel)

As book bans around the country by local schools or libraries make headlines, the Illinois House passed a bill aimed at limiting libraries’ ability to ban books. 

The proposed airport in Peotone would be focused on cargo. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]

The House passed a bill Tuesday requiring the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to seek interest from potential developers for a third Chicago-area airport to be built in Peotone in a years-long process that has been slow to move forward.  

Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago) speaks on the House floor Tuesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

The House gave approval to a bill that would require parents to split the cost of pregnancies, which can be sought through a court order similar to childcare.  

Participants in the Illinois March for Life rally outside the Illinois State Capitol Tuesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

Less than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, anti-abortion activists from the national March for Life movement are taking their pitch to eradicate abortion in Illinois directly to state lawmakers. 

Rep. Jen Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) speaks on the House floor Thursday. [Blue Room Stream]    

The House voted Thursday to approve a bill that will treat rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft the same under state law as other forms of transportation such as taxis and even public transportation providers.  

Rep. Lilian Jimenez (D-Chicago) speaks at a news conference with Attorney General Kwame Raoul, back right, in Chicago Monday. [State of Illinois]   

Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Monday he is backing legislation to amp up Illinois’ laws protecting employees from retaliation from their employers with a focus on protecting immigrants.  

Officials say current plans for a South Suburban Airport focus on cargo air traffic. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Rumors have floated for years about the possibility of building a third Chicago airport near south suburban Peotone in southern Will County — a mostly rural community on Interstate 57 about 45 miles south of downtown Chicago.  

The plan has never gained serious traction outside of occasional land purchases, appropriations for road construction and designs and studies by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). But a bill making its way through the Illinois House could give the project a new breath of life.  

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi.  

The House Revenue and Finance Committee held subject matter hearings on a group of proposals that could limit the estate tax and give the Cook County Assessor’s Office more data to make property value assessments.  

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) speaks at a news conference in Springfield Thursday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

A pair of bipartisan bills aimed at reducing fentanyl exposure are moving their way through the House as lawmakers stress the need to take action amid growing drug overdoses linked to fentanyl.