Christine Coleman of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services listens to legislators at a joint subject matter hearing of the Mental Health and Addiction Committees.  

Legislators demanded answers from state officials about the condition of the state’s behavioral health care system for children during a tense subject matter hearing on Wednesday.

The Illinois Gaming Board approved two new casinos. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago) has made it a race for the new 3rd Illinois Congressional District. And Gov. JB Pritzker announced another round of highway improvements.  

New Illinois House districts in the Metro East area and on Chicago's North Side came under the microscope in a Tuesday court hearing.

Latino and Black voting rights, 10-year population projections and murky legislative intent all made for a thorny court hearing on Illinois’ proposed legislative maps on Tuesday. 

A map of the first round of new Illinois Senate districts approved by lawmakers in June. [Frank Calabrese] 

Attorneys for Senate President Don Harmon and Speaker Chris Welch will try on Tuesday to fend off three challenges to Illinois’ next set of legislative maps before a panel of three judges.

Faith Colson, who testified before a Senate committee in August, is the namesake for "Faith's Law" signed by Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a measure into law Friday designed to bolster training and resources to combat sexual abuse and misconduct in Illinois schools, calling it part of a broader effort to “support the wellbeing of all students.”

 

More than 3 million Illinoisans live in an area without easy access to groceries, according to a recent report. [nicottito via Unsplash]

A decade-long fight against statewide hunger has not helped reduce the number of food deserts across Illinois, according to a recent report. In fact, the state saw an uptick in food deserts between 2015 and 2019. 

Illinois child care providers will be able to apply for a stake of $300 million in new relief grants, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced during a Thursday morning press conference. Officials also revealed that $45 million in state funds will go toward previous recipients of the state’s Child Care Restoration Grants, a program that has been extended by six months past the Dec. 15 deadline. With the recent influx of funding, the state has surpassed $1 billion in total pandemic child care relief grants, officials said.

Gov. JB Pritzker announced $94 million in new funds for Illinois airports at the Quad Cities International Airport Wednesday.

Gov. JB Pritzker announced almost $94 million in new funding for Illinois airports through the Rebuild Illinois Capital Improvement Program, which he touted as “the most robust infrastructure upgrade in Illinois’ history.” 

From left: Rep. Denyse Stoneback (D-Skokie), Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) and Access Living organizer Cathleen O'Brien speak during a House Housing Committee meeting on Tuesday.

Lawmakers should hone state-backed housing assistance to better suit some of the state’s most vulnerable populations, including people who are chronically homeless, people with prior convictions and people with disabilities, advocates testified on Tuesday.

House Majority Leader Greg Harris will step down at the end of his current term in January 2023, he announced Monday.

House Majority Leader Greg Harris (D-Chicago) will not run for reelection in 2022, capping his state house tenure at 16 years, he announced on Monday. The news set off a starting gun on what is sure to be a crowded and expensive open race to represent the North Side Chicago district, an area one political consultant called “one of the most politically engaged districts in the state.”