Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, pictured in September 2021, announced he came to an agreement with union leaders Monday to give paid leave to fully vaccinated employees at public education institutions in Illinois.  

Gov. JB Pritzker vetoed a bill Monday that sought to give unlimited time off to educators who miss work for reasons related to COVID-19, but he simultaneously announced a deal to give time off to vaccinated employees.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza speaks during a virtual event in March 2021.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza wants by the end of next year to “become a major player in helping craft policy” for the General Assembly through a technological overhaul that could make her office “the most trusted source of financial government data in the country,” she said on The Daily Line’s CloutCast podcast.

Small Business Advocacy Council president Elliot Richardson (left) and South Shore Chamber of Commerce executive director Tonya Trice speak during a House committee meeting on Thursday. 

Updated 9:35 a.m. Jan. 21: Small business groups are back in Springfield with a new effort to reverse an incentive for property owners to leave their storefronts vacant, a phenomenon they say has long plagued commercial corridors across the state. But a spirited hearing on Thursday signaled a rocky path ahead for the bill.

A House committee voted unanimously on Thursday to advance a bill that would extend the life on a program legislators say has helped the state lighten its pension debt. House Republican leaders touted a bill they’ve introduced to repeal the controversial SAFE-T Act, which they blamed for exacerbating crime since it was passed one year ago. And state officials touted more than $100 million in federally backed small business grants distributed since last fall. 

Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur) speaks during a House committee meeting on Wednesday.

During a two-hour, often contentious meeting of the House Committee on Elementary & Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing & Charter Schools, representatives agreed to support a bill from Rep. Michael J. Zalewski (D-Riverside) and two from Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur). But another bill, also sponsored by Scherer, failed to pass the committee. 

Attorneys Adolfo Mondargon (left) and Michael Dorf sparred before the Illinois Supreme Court over campaign finance law on Wednesday.

The Illinois Supreme Court met on Wednesday to hear an appeal from Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25) challenging the legality of the $220,000 in campaign contributions spent by his predecessor  Ald. Danny Solis on legal fees during the ongoing corruption investigation around Ald. Ed Burke (14). If the high court sides with Sigcho-Lopez, it will mark a sea change in the rules surrounding how campaign dollars are used statewide.

Rep. Will Davis (D-Homewood) [left] and lobbyist Dan Johnson speaking during a virtual House committee meeting on Tuesday

House lawmakers advanced legislation on Tuesday representing the latest step in their effort to promote diversity in the renewable energy industry — this time by requiring companies to publicly report their contracting records with women- and minority-owned firms. It was one of more than a half-dozen bills that escaped House and Senate committees on Tuesday, including bills designed to improve hospital safety and ease student debt.

Republican Senate Leader Dan McConchie rolled out a series of proposed constitutional amendments he said were designed to empower voters. And Democrats lashed a proposal from Republicans to expand the state’s automatic voter registration law.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin emphasized crime, corruption and the economy in his gubernatorial campaign launch video on Monday. [YouTube/Irvin & Bourne for Illinois]

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin became the latest candidate on Monday to jump into the Republican race to unseat Gov. JB Pritzker. But even with the promise of heavy backing from billionaire mega-donor Ken Griffin, Illinois Democrats and even many Republicans are making it clear his path to the governor’s mansion will be anything but smooth.

Consumer groups and Democratic senators want state regulators to pressure car insurance companies to refund nearly $900 million in potential premium charges. [Unsplash/Nabeel Syed]

State insurance officials are distancing themselves from a plea by legislators and consumer advocates to shake concessions from insurance mega-firms they say may have overcharged Illinois drivers by hundreds of millions of dollars last year.