River Forest Village President Catherine Adduci, left, and Illinois Municipal League Executive Director Brad Cole, right, speak to the House Cities and Villages Committee Tuesday. [Blue Room Stream]   

Mayors from around the state descended on Springfield last week to call on state lawmakers to restore funding for the Local Government Distributive Fund to 10 percent of the state’s total income tax revenue — a level it has not been at in over a decade.  

Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) speaks at a news conference in Springfield Thursday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

House Republicans are asking for a pause to further expansions of the state health care program giving health care to undocumented residents after a report from the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (DHFS) found the program costs far more than expected.  

Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson (center) delivers an address to a joint session of the General Assembly Wednesday in the Illinois House chamber. He is pictured with Senate President Don Harmon, (left) D-Oak Park, and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside. [Jerry Nowicki/Capitol News Illinois]   

Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson laid out a bold progressive blueprint for state lawmakers to serve as a governing partner to the city of Chicago in a passionate speech to a joint session of the General Assembly Wednesday.  

Members of the House Public Utilities Committee meet in Springfield Tuesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

A bill to end Illinois’ decades-long ban on building new nuclear reactors is set for a final vote on the House floor after it was approved by a committee Tuesday.  

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside), left, and Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), right, speak to the Illinois Chamber of Commerce in Springfield on Tuesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

State lawmakers returned to Springfield Tuesday for the final five weeks of session and the legislature’s top Democratic leaders say this year’s session has brought some sense of normal governance back to Illinois.  

Strikes at three state universities ended after nearly two weeks and pressure on Gov. JB Pritzker. And Pritzker made a new pitch for lawmakers to pass his early childhood education proposals as lawmakers drill into the budget.  

Rep. Mary Beth Canty (D-Arlington Heights) speaks on the House floor last month. [Blue Room Stream] 

People who apply for new jobs in Illinois could soon see more information on job postings about the salary and benefits being offered by a company under a bill making its way through the General Assembly.  

From left to right, Sen. Neil Anderson (R-Andalusia), Senate Democrats staff member Reena Tandon, and Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) meet in the Senate Assignments Committee last month. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

For some, it’s the place former House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) wielded his power and killed bills. But today’s leaders of the House Rules Committee and Senate Assignments Committee agreed the committees perform a key duty that keeps business flowing in the General Assembly.  

Solar panels are pictured. 

As Illinois embarks on a two-decade transition to clean energy, officials from an organization tasked by the federal government with ensuring the reliability of the energy grid are cautioning Illinois lawmakers to ensure the state has enough energy liability to handle the changes coming to electricity providers.  

A Metra train is pictured. 

Leaders from Illinois’ transit agencies reminded members of the House Appropriations- Public Safety Committee on Wednesday that their agencies will face a massive fiscal cliff when federal relief funds run out in 2026 under the system’s current revenue structure.