Rep. Margaret Croke (D-Chicago) presents a bill in the House on March 21. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

State lawmakers are advancing a plan that would require stricter reporting requirements for school officials about incidents of bullying in an effort the lead sponsor of a bill says will help align Illinois’ anti-bullying law with online cyberbullying.  

Lawmakers are expected to draw boundaries for the board’s seats by mid-May.    

Members of the House heard testimony Monday from stakeholders as they weigh how to draw boundaries for Chicago Public Schools’ new elected school board that voters will choose candidates for beginning in 2024.  

Faculty and administration at Northeastern Illinois University announced Monday they reached an agreement to avoid a strike. And Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is highlighting achievements from his first 100 days in office.  

River Forest Village President Catherine Adduci, left, and Illinois Municipal League Executive Director Brad Cole, right, speak to the House Cities and Villages Committee Tuesday. [Blue Room Stream]   

Mayors from around the state descended on Springfield last week to call on state lawmakers to restore funding for the Local Government Distributive Fund to 10 percent of the state’s total income tax revenue — a level it has not been at in over a decade.  

Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) speaks at a news conference in Springfield Thursday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

House Republicans are asking for a pause to further expansions of the state health care program giving health care to undocumented residents after a report from the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (DHFS) found the program costs far more than expected.  

Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson (center) delivers an address to a joint session of the General Assembly Wednesday in the Illinois House chamber. He is pictured with Senate President Don Harmon, (left) D-Oak Park, and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside. [Jerry Nowicki/Capitol News Illinois]   

Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson laid out a bold progressive blueprint for state lawmakers to serve as a governing partner to the city of Chicago in a passionate speech to a joint session of the General Assembly Wednesday.  

Members of the House Public Utilities Committee meet in Springfield Tuesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

A bill to end Illinois’ decades-long ban on building new nuclear reactors is set for a final vote on the House floor after it was approved by a committee Tuesday.  

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside), left, and Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), right, speak to the Illinois Chamber of Commerce in Springfield on Tuesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

State lawmakers returned to Springfield Tuesday for the final five weeks of session and the legislature’s top Democratic leaders say this year’s session has brought some sense of normal governance back to Illinois.  

Strikes at three state universities ended after nearly two weeks and pressure on Gov. JB Pritzker. And Pritzker made a new pitch for lawmakers to pass his early childhood education proposals as lawmakers drill into the budget.  

Rep. Mary Beth Canty (D-Arlington Heights) speaks on the House floor last month. [Blue Room Stream] 

People who apply for new jobs in Illinois could soon see more information on job postings about the salary and benefits being offered by a company under a bill making its way through the General Assembly.