Chicago-area transit agencies face a fiscal cliff in 2025 when pandemic relief funds expire.    

Chicago-area transit agencies received additional years of relief this legislative session from a state law that requires transit agencies receive half of their revenue from rider fares.  

The pause comes as lawmakers and transit officials work to drill down over the coming years on the future funding model for transit agencies as rider patterns have changed since the pandemic.  

Illinois Democrats gather at the State Fair on Governor’s Day earlier this month. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Illinois Democrats are stepping up their focus on down ballot races in 2024 as the Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) will launch a new recruitment strategy on Wednesday aimed at improving party operations in rural areas dominated by Republicans and giving voters more choices on their ballots.    

U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), standing, speaks at an event in Oak Park on Monday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Officials from all levels of government in western Cook County are working to establish a collaborative approach toward addressing climate change at the local level.  

Sen. Mike Simmons speaks at a news conference in Chicago on Friday. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]  

A group of Illinois Democrats are pushing legislation that would give people serving time in Illinois prisons the right to vote, arguing civic engagement is key to their rehabilitation.  

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who serves as the state’s chief librarian in his role as secretary of state, responded Friday to recent bomb threats at Chicago-area libraries. And the Illinois Department of Public Health issued an update about COVID-19 in Illinois amid talk of rising cases.  

Gov. JB Pritzker signs a bill into law on July 26. [Gov. JB Pritzker/Facebook] 

Gov. JB Pritzker has not used his veto pen often as governor with a Democratic majority in the General Assembly. But Pritzker made it clear where he stands on environmental issues this summer by stamping a veto on three bills opposed by environmental groups.  

The Dirksen federal courthouse in Chicago.  

Former Speaker Mike Madigan’s chief of staff and former executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois Tim Mapes was found guilty by a jury in federal court on Thursday of lying to a grand jury investigating Madigan.  

Rep. Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) leads the House Personnel and Pensions Committee in Chicago on July 19. [Blue Room Stream] 

As lawmakers continue to dig into pension reform, several pension systems pushed back on a deferred retirement option plan proposed into the bill, which also exposed a point of disagreement between the chief co-sponsors on the bill.  

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) speaks at a news conference at Governors State University alongside Illinois lawmakers and local officials. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Beginning in January, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will begin seeking proposals from private developers to build the South Suburban Airport in Peotone after decades of conversations on a third Chicago airport.  

Supporters of the airport believe there is sufficient interest in both building and using the planned cargo-oriented airport.  

Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) could face a primary race in March. And faculty at Illinois State University kicked off a campaign Tuesday to form a faculty union.