Nearly 300 new laws will go into effect statewide on Jan. 1, reflecting the efforts of Illinois lawmakers to address the wide variety of substantial issues facing the state. And in a collective attempt to rectify the United States’ sordid history of systemic racism, several new laws going into effect in 2022 seek to make the state a more equitable place for all.

A CTA “holiday train” rolls into the Washington/Wabash station in the Loop. [CTA/Flickr]

The $1.5 billion infusion into Illinois’ major transit agencies from the American Rescue Plan threw a critical lifeline to the CTA, Metra and the Pace suburban bus system as all three agencies remain devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This article was originally published in Illinois Health News.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week endorsed the test-to-stay program operating in Illinois as a tool to help students stay in the classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed six bills into law last week. 

Gov. JB Pritzker signed six additional bills into law last week that will adjust the state’s rules on gambling, firefighters, hemp and Chicago’s elected school board. 

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill on Friday to repeal the Parental Notification Act.

Gov. JB Pritzker officially rolled back Illinois’ last remaining abortion restriction Friday when he signed a repeal of the Parental Notification of Abortion Act (HB 370).

Test scores dropped in the past year amid the pandemic, but officials have mixed views about what that means. [Unsplash stock]

The number of students who met grade-level standards in math and English took a tumble this past school year, according to newly released data from the 2021 Illinois Assessment of Readiness test. 

A proposed new map of Cook County judicial subcircuits drew mixed praise during a hearing on Thursday.

Legislators from the Senate and House hosted a joint public hearing on Thursday to discuss the recently revealed map of proposed Judicial Subcircuits in Cook County. Co-hosted by House Redistricting Committee Chair Rep. Lisa Hernandez (D-Cicero) and Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago), the hybrid meeting occurred at the Michael A. Bilandic Building in Chicago. Most legislators and participants chose the remote Zoom option.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday signed Senate Bill 280, launching a new Regional Water Commission for Joliet and its surrounding communities. The bill was originally introduced to the Senate in February by Sen. John Connor (D-Lockport) and passed both the House and the Senate unanimously in October. 

Lt. Gov Juliana Stratton speaks during an event in Little Village on Wednesday to announce new funding through the state’s Restore Reinvest Renew (R3) program.

State officials on Wednesday announced $45 million in new funding for a program designed to heal communities harmed by the decades-long War on Drugs. Gov. JB Pritzker celebrated the program as hallmark of the state’s “equity-centered” cannabis legalization law while lamenting the loss of one of the law’s foremost architects to a national organization.

A rendering of The Prime Group’s $280 million plan to renovate the Thompson Center [JAHN Architecture, Inc.]

State leaders are closing in on a deal to sell the James R. Thompson Center to a private developer who plans to renovate the controversial downtown building while keeping its iconic exterior intact, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Wednesday.