Chicago Bears CEO Kevin Warren, right, speaks at a Lincoln Forum even at the Union League Club of Chicago on Tuesday. [FOX-32] 

A new publicly funded stadium for the Chicago Bears was the most talked about potential piece of legislation during the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session and was also one of the most unlikely to see a vote.  

Speaking to the Lincoln Forum in Chicago on Tuesday, Bears CEO Kevin Warren acknowledged funding priorities that Illinois elected officials have said take precedence over an NFL stadium but reiterated his commitment to forging ahead in the coming months to convince the state to give the NFL’s charter franchise money for a new home.  

Senate Minority Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove). [Illinois Senate Republicans]   

Senate Minority Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) believes Illinois Republicans took a “big step forward” this spring to win over voters in November as Republicans pushed to move the needle on Prisoner Review Board reform and growing dissent among Democrats over the budget.  

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) speaks on the House floor in 2023. [Blue Room Stream] 

House Democrats have generally got on board with state budget bills in recent years, but it was notable when multiple Democrats opposed this year’s budget and nearly sank a plan to increase taxes on businesses to help pay for the spending.  

In an interview with The Daily Line last week, House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) explained he knew the vote margins on the budget would be slim and said the differences of opinion within his caucus on fiscal policy are a sign of strength.  

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza speaks at the Illinois Police Officers Memorial in May. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

Comptroller Susana Mendoza told The Daily Line she is not asking for across the board budget cuts to state government but rather fiscally responsible agency management after an interview with a Quincy TV station received criticism from the governor.  

Gov. JB Pritzker signs the Fiscal Year 2025 budget at the state office building in Chicago on Wednesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

Gov. JB Pritzker signed Illinois’ Fiscal Year 2025 budget on Wednesday totaling $53.1 billion of spending — the largest in state history. The governor’s signature represented the end of a challenging legislative process that drew dissent from many Democrats. 

Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago) speaks on the House floor on May 23. [Blue Room Stream]   

A long-awaited bill to eliminate the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities continues to make slow progress through the legislature but did not advance in the Senate before last week’s adjournment, putting the bill on ice until the fall veto session or short lame duck session next January.  

Rep. Dagmara Avelar (D-Bolingbrook) speaks on the House floor on May 21. [Blue Room Stream]   

Illinois Democrats are anticipating another U.S. Supreme Court decision that further restricts access to abortion and advanced a bill to codify a federal law they worry will be struck down this month.  

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Chair Joseph Rupnick speaks at a news conference in Shabbona, Ill. in 2022. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

The General Assembly failed to approve legislation that would transfer a state park to the new reservation recently recognized by the federal government for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation despite vigorous discussions during the final weeks of spring session. 

The House Judiciary- Criminal Committee meets on Tuesday night. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

The legislature adjourned without signing off on bipartisan reform to the Prisoner Review Board (PRB) that was supported by most lawmakers but opposed by Gov. JB Pritzker.  

The Illinois Commerce Commission approved a small rate increase for Peoples Gas in another win for consumer advocates. Gov. JB Pritzker will headline an event for Wisconsin Democrats. And a conservative legal organization is challenging highway cameras in Illinois.