Springfield News
-
OCT 06, 2021
AARP Illinois advocacy and outreach director Mary Anderson on Tuesday highlighted a new report from her organization and SAGE that examined the issues facing the state’s LGBTQ residents who are 50 or older.
State policymakers should ensure a 2019 law aimed at helping older LGBTQ Illinoisans is fully implemented, establish an LGBTQ aging commission and bolster efforts to collect data on the population, according to a new report from two nonprofit organizations.
-
OCT 06, 2021
Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday touted the state’s efforts to provide affordable housing, including the state’s allocation of housing assistance funds.
Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday Illinois was “so far ahead” of other states in allocating federal rental housing assistance that the state is asking the federal government to “redistribute” unused money from other states to Illinois.
-
OCT 05, 2021
Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed an executive order that seeks to ensure people with disabilities are paid equal wages.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed an executive order (EO 2021-26) designed to ensure Illinois companies doing business with the state pay people with disabilities at the same level they pay non-disabled people.
-
OCT 05, 2021
Attorney General Kwame Raoul held a news conference Monday to announce a series of efforts aimed at protecting children from online predators.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Monday announced a series of ongoing efforts by his office aimed at protecting children from online predators, including the launch of a new mobile forensic unit.
-
OCT 04, 2021
The Illinois General Assembly is set to return for its fall legislative session on Oct. 19.
Illinois lawmakers have been quick to respond to a recently passed Texas law that effectively bans most abortions in the state. So far, two Chicago lawmakers have filed bills inspired by the Texas law: one to expand abortion access, and one that aims to rein in gun violence. Both proposals could see discussion during the upcoming veto session.
-
OCT 01, 2021
Tim Carey of Hawthorne Race Course displays a rendering of a planned update to Hawthorne’s facility during a virtual meeting of the Senate Gaming Committee.
Under pressure to expand and update their facilities racetracks close or repurposed, members of Illinois' beleaguered horseracing industry are working to adapt and secure funding for new ventures, they told legislators on Thursday.
-
OCT 01, 2021
The Illinois Commerce Commission plans to convene a series of workshops to solicit input on how regulators should oversee the state's transition away from fossil fuels.
The Illinois Commerce Commission moved to implement portions of the Climate Equitable Jobs Act (SB 2408), which Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Sept. 15, during a 23-minute meeting Thursday.
-
SEP 30, 2021
UNLOCKED
Clockwise from top left: campaign adds released by Gov. JB Pritzker, Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), businessman Gary Rabine and former Sen. Paul Schimpf.
Illinois’ primary election is almost nine months away, but incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker is already splashing out on ad buys promoting his record of leading Illinois through COVID-19. Republican challengers are also ponying up for ads as the primary race begins to take shape, but they’re spending far less money than the incumbent.
-
SEP 29, 2021
A state audit found that the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program is in need of a dozens of administrative fixes. [Erix via Creative Commons]
A program meant to catalog and monitor opioid prescriptions in Illinois is riddled with unreliable data, outdated policies and inadequate contractor monitoring, according to a Sept. 15 report from the office of Auditor General Frank Mautino.
-
SEP 28, 2021
Senate Transportation Committee chair Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) (left) and American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois president Kevin Artl during a committee hearing Monday
Launching a commission to oversee and expand public-private partnerships could beef up the benefits of state- and locally-backed transportation projects, lawmakers and experts said during a hearing on Monday.
