News in brief: Hospitality industry calls for more help from state; Cook County outlines next phase of vaccination effort

Representatives from the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition, including Dilara Sayeed and Deena Habbal, have testified at several legislative redistricting hearings.

In the five weeks since state lawmakers began holding redistricting committee meetings, they’ve held 25 hearings as of Wednesday.

News in brief: Dowell launches Secretary of State election campaign; Pritzker, Blackhawks make joint announcement 

Last month, a group of 11 Chicago alderman sent a letter to Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) calling for the lawmakers to pass a bill they said would help address the city’s affordable housing needs.

“With every crisis comes an opportunity to look for solutions,” Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) wrote in a March 17 letter co-signed by Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20), Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22), Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25), Ald. Felix Cardona (31), Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez (33), Ald. Andre Vasquez (40), Ald. Michele Smith (43), Ald. Matthew Martin (47), Ald. Harry Osterman (48) and Ald. Maria Hadden (49).

News in brief: Pritzker signs safety net hospital bill; state to receive new federal COVID-19 vaccine funding; more rapid response teams deployed 

Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) criticized Democrats on Monday for holding simultaneous House redistricting hearings.

House Republicans pushed back on Democrats Monday after two simultaneous redistricting meetings.

Members of the House Redistricting Committee had to pull double duty Monday morning when two committees convened shortly after 10 a.m. One committee focused on the Rockford area while the second centered on Joliet. Both meetings were conducted virtually and livestreamed on the legislature’s website.

Reform for Illinois executive director Alisa Kaplan faced questions on Monday from Rep. Katie Stuart and Rep. Ann Williams about ethics proposals under consideration this year.

For months, state lawmakers have said approving an ethics overhaul law is a top priority. But since the 102^nd General Assembly kicked off in January, there has been little movement on the issue.

That began to change Monday, when members of the House Ethics and Elections Committee held a subject matter hearing. Rather than advancing ideas that have been discussed for more than a year, Democrats on the committee expressed skepticism about provisions under consideration that would crack down on lobbying and statements of economic interest.

News in brief: Pritzker signs Chicago firefighter pension bill.

News in brief: Pritzker signs Chicago firefighter pension bill; Pritzker promotes program to combat learning loss 

News in brief: Pritzker signs nine bills on Friday; Pritzker, Welch push to host MLB All-Star Game