The Illinois Capitol   

The state ended Fiscal Year 2024 on June 30 with revenue falling in line with expectations of the state’s two major budget forecasting offices. 

Despite the news that state revenue officially came in higher than legislators first expected when they passed the FY24 budget in May 2023, the state’s independent budget forecasting office the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) pointed out Illinois has a lot of work to do to improve key economic conditions.  

The John Deere pavilion in Moline. [Illinois Office of Tourism] 

About 600 Illinois and Iowa John Deere employees are set to lose their jobs this summer as the agriculture giant cuts back production and transfers jobs out of the country.  

The Moline-based company also sits in the heart of Illinois’ 17th Congressional District — the state’s only competitive congressional district where voters demand moderacy from candidates and economic issues are closely watched by heartland residents. 

The Illinois Capitol   

Gov. JB Pritzker signed 51 news laws this week, including medical debt relief for Illinoisans and various changes to Illinois’ election code.  

Gov. JB Pritzker signs Illinois’ assault weapons ban in January 2023. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

The U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition on Tuesday to take up a challenge to Illinois’ assault weapons ban as opponents continued working through the legal system to block the law.  

Gov. JB Pritzker signs a pair of bills at the Chicago Pride Parade on Sunday. [Gov. JB Pritzker]   

Ahead of Chicago’s annual Pride Parade on Sunday, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a pair of bills he says will benefit Illinois’ LGBTQ community.  

Rep. Marua Hirshaurer (D-Batavia) speaks at a news conference in Chicago in January with advocates for Karina’s bill. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]      

Anti-domestic violence advocates hope they will be able to move forward a bill this fall that takes guns out of the hands of domestic abusers following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. 

Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) presents a bill in committee in March. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

Words and public statements by elected officials carry weight, and Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) believes Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s commitment to not close schools is more effective than putting legislative handcuffs on the city.  

Gov. JB Pritzker signs a new tax credit plan in Chicago on Wednesday. [Gov. JB Pritzker/Facebook]   

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Wednesday to add and expand tax credits in Illinois designed to attract industries the governor believes the state has a competitive advantage to host.  

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in a corruption case against a former Portage, Indiana mayor that could have implications for former Speaker Mike Madigan’s corruption trial. And former Illinois Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger announced who he will vote for in the presidential election.  

Gov. JB Pritzker signs a bill in Chicago to create the Department of Early Childhood on Tuesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Tuesday to create the Department of Early Childhood as early childhood development and education remains a top priority of the governor’s second term.  

“We can create an Illinois where no outcome is predetermined by race or ZIP code or socioeconomic status,” Pritzker said. “That all starts in these earliest years. Today is just one, but an important one, a major milestone step forward for our state.”