Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a trio of bills into law just before the close of business on Friday that garnered heated discussion in the General Assembly on its first working day of 2022.

The new laws adjust judicial maps, fine-tune last year’s landmark SAFE-T Act and make adjustments to the state’s election calendar to match the pushed-back date of the June 2022 primary.

A year-end report from a state working group on education is calling for increased infrastructure to address student mental health needs and for districts to consider changing their school year schedules as a response to the disruptions incurred by COVID-19. 

Left: Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) speaks during a virtual news conference on Thursday. Right: former Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope speaks during a virtual meeting in April 2021.

Illinois lawmakers dispensed with a deluge of legislation during their single-day floor session on Wednesday, but they left at least one time-sensitive task unfinished: picking a new Legislative Inspector General to succeed outgoing watchdog Carol Pope.

Rep. Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago) speaks during a House floor session on Wednesday night.

Illinois legislators began the second year of the 102nd General Assembly mired in three of the same topics that dominated the 2021 legislative session: the COVID-19 pandemic, the direction of criminal justice and redistricting in the state. 

Rep. Lisa Hernandez (D-Cicero) and Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) during a virtual meeting of the House Redistricting Committee on Wednesday

Republican House members on Wednesday walloped an amended new proposal (SB 928) that would create judicial subcircuits in Sangamon County, Madison County and Winnebago counties as the bill marched to a party-line vote through the General Assembly.

Gov. JB Pritzker is isolating after exposure to a case of COVID-19 as the legislature’s work gets underway. The first day of session saw a House Republican press conference on last year’s SAFE-T act, which will eliminate cash bill and set in motion other reforms related to public safety. And Comptroller Suzana Mendoza announced her office has paid a $20 billion loan back to the federal government two years ahead of schedule. (Caroline Kubzansky)

John Schnobrich on Unsplash

Illinois residents still face barriers to high-speed internet depending on their location and income, the state’s Broadband Advisory Council acknowledged in its year-end report.

Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) laid out his predictions and priorities for the upcoming legislative session in an interview with The Daily Line on Monday.

Illinois lawmakers are poised to plunge into their annual spring legislative session this week, braving a surge of COVID-19 cases so that legislators can wrap up all the state’s business — including the passage of an annual budget — nearly two months ahead of schedule.

Rush University System for Health

This article was first published in Block Club Chicago.

Hospitals are overwhelmed and understaffed, and health care workers are desperately burned out, state officials and hospital executives said Monday, adding unvaccinated Illinoisans are fueling the hospitalizations.

On Sunday, the state reported the highest number of hospitalizations since the pandemic began, with 6,294 people hospitalized with COVID-19 or a related illness, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Of those, more than 85 percent are unvaccinated, officials said.

A spate of new laws took effect in the new year to overhaul Illinois’ criminal justice codes.

Illinois legislators have taken aim at reforming the state’s criminal justice system in a spate of new laws that went into effect on Jan. 1. Such reforms include revising the state’s sentencing regulations.

With the passage of SB2129, state’s attorneys have the ability to petition the court to reduce an offender’s sentence if the state’s attorney believes the original sentence no longer advances the interests of justice. The court may also consider post-conviction factors, including an  inmate’s disciplinary record and record of rehabilitation while incarcerated, as well as whether time served, age and or any potential diminished physical condition have reduced the inmate’s risk for future violence. Courts may additionally consider evidence that reflects changed circumstances since the original sentencing. Should an inmate be resentenced, Senate Bill 02129 stipulates that the new sentence cannot be greater than the original.