Springfield News
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Lawmakers will return to Springfield Monday nearly five months after a momentous spring legislative session that saw the passage of massive bills from recreational marijuana legalization to a $45 billion infrastructure plan.
But the political climate has shifted significantly since early June, since the existence of widespread federal corruption probes was revealed over the summer and fall. The inquires appear targeted at Democrats and their allies, but the investigations have also shaken Republicans and longtime Springfield lobbyists who work for bipartisan interests across industries.
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OCT 25, 2019
Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith addresses reporters. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
As Gov. JB Pritzker announced dozens of hires for high-level roles in his administration this winter and spring, one of his last picks to head a state agency was Marc Smith, who was announced as the new director of the Department of Children and Family Services on March 27 — more than two months into Pritzker’s time in office.
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An employee in the Illinois Department of Human Services’ inspector general’s office kept his job after an inquiry prompted by allegations that he sexually harassed employees of state contractors, according to a report published by the Executive Inspector General this week.
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Between 2008 and 2017, Chicago’s residential effective tax rate increased by 32.5 percent, while its commercial effective tax rate increased by 69.3 percent in the last decade, according to a new report by the Civic Federation.
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A majority of justices on the Illinois Supreme Court on Friday upheld Illinois’ revenge porn criminal statute, ruling against a woman who distributed nude photos of a neighbor her ex-fiance flirted with during their relationship.
The Illinois Supreme Court building in Springfield. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
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The State Board of Elections is pushing for the return of an omnibus bill designed to improve election security, help with the 2020 Census count and spare low-dollar candidates from costly audits during the legislature’s Fall Veto Session.
However, the bill’s sponsor has not committed to that timeline.
Erin Guthrie [Submitted]
