Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-Glen Ellyn), Wheaten North High School student Henry Lytle and Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) speak during the House Transportation Committee Thursday.

When Henry Lytle and his twin brother became old enough to drive, Lytle realized his brother might encounter a common situation on the road that might be difficult for him to handle: getting pulled over by the police.  

Lytle’s brother has autism, and Lytle said unfamiliar situations or moments that make him nervous can cause his brother to have difficulty communicating or react in unconventional ways that might also make police officers on a traffic stop nervous.

Rep. Marcus Evans (D-Chicago), left, and Kazeem Sanuth from Indiana University speak in support of requiring schools to offer African language as a class Thursday.

African American students deserve to have the same opportunities to learn about their heritage in school as their peers, Rep. Marcus Evans (D-Chicago) said while advocating for a bill to require schools offer African language studies. 

From left: Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago), Rep. Chris Bos (R-Lake Zurich) and Rep. Michelle Mussman (D-Schaumburg) speak during a meeting of the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. 

On Thursday the House Judiciary Committee advanced bills that would eliminate barriers for young people to buy pepper spray, clear the way for prisons to share records with inmates and remove cannabis tests from expungement proceedings.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a motion asking the Illinois Supreme Court reinstate an Adams County sexual assault conviction a judge dropped. The House Revenue Committee could take action on a bill designed to help small businesses by creating a tax credit for those that raise the wages of their employees. And Rep. Cyril Nichols (D-Chicago) is hoping to make a change at emission testing facilities to expedite service for some drivers.  

House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) speaks to reporters over Zoom Wednesday.

After a grand jury declined to indict a man on first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of a Chicago woman, Republicans pounced to argue it was more proof the SAFE-T Act was not working to improve public safety. Defenders of the law hit back, saying Republicans are trying to “mislead the public.”

Rep. Marcus Evans (D-Chicago) speaks about his experience with cancer during the House Human Services Committee Wednesday.

After a traumatic experience battling cancer, Rep. Marcus Evans (D-Chicago) is hoping to create another resource for men to consulate for their own health needs. 

From left: Rep. Larry Walsh (D-Elwood), environmental advocate J.C. Kibbey and Peoples Gas executive Torrence Hinton speak during Wednesday’s meeting of the House Public Utilities Committee.

A two-hour subject matter hearing in front of the House Public Utilities Committee saw proponents and opponents of a bill (HB3941) designed to rein in heating costs repeatedly confront one another while committee chair Rep. Larry Walsh (D-Elwood) played referee. 

Bills to cap increasing property value assessments in Cook County, make Illinois drivers licenses valid for six years instead of four and add new judges to Illinois’ Fifth District Appellate Court

Illinois Municipal League Executive Director Brad Cole explains the League’s 2022 legislative agenda to during a news conference at the State Capitol in Springfield Tuesday.

Local government leaders are renewing their call on state lawmakers to restore funding to the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) after a decade of decreases.  

Leaders with the Illinois Municipal League and 12 other local government organizations included in the Restore LGDF coalition are asking lawmakers to boost funding for the Local Government Distributive Fund back toward its original level of 10 percent of the total amount of income taxes collected by the state prior to decreases since 2011. 

Bills to create a Department of Children and Family Services security force to keep employees safe, pause license fees for short-term substitute teachers during the pandemic and begin discussions about creating a more comprehensive state reading curriculum advanced through Senate committees Tuesday. Gov. JB Pritzker also advocated for provisions in his budget proposal that would devote more resources toward higher education.