Springfield News
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Illinois’ solar industry is sounding the alarm on a dwindling source of state money that supports hundreds of solar energy projects, leading renewable energy advocates to warn of a solar energy “bust.”
[Solar Energy Industries Association]
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Fresh off of a legislative win capping the price of insulin in Illinois, State Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) and State Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) are working to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board, which would limit what Illinoisans would pay for certain medications.
State Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) speaks on the floor of the Illinois House. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
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Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) raked in $95,000 in campaign contributions from six major players in Illinois’ video gaming industry, including operators, a gaming parlor chain and the umbrella association that protects video gaming interests, according to reports filed this month with the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Senate Democratic colleagues applaud new Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) after being elected to his new leadership post Sunday evening. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
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State Rep. Eva Dina-Delgado (D-Chicago) received her first significant campaign contribution last week from a source other than herself, as endorsements from outside groups begin to mount. Meanwhile, a federal judge ruled that discovery in a discrimination lawsuit against Gov. JB Pritzker’s 2018 campaign should be limited in the case of Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and that Pritzker will not have to sit for a deposition.
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Officials at the Illinois Department of Public Health and Health Facilities and Services Review Board improperly steered a contract job to a former employee, according to a report published Friday by the Executive Ethics Commission.
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Lawmakers must act this spring to change the way Illinois residents use and pay for energy as part of an effort to fight climate change before new rules that favor power generated by fossil fuels take effect, environmental advocates said Friday.
From left, Citizens Utility Board Executive Director David Kolata, Dulce Ortiz from Clean Power Lake County and Christie Hicks, an attorney for the Environmental Defense Fund testify in favor of the Clean Energy Jobs Act. [Heather Cherone/The Daily Line]
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Gov. JB Pritzker’s $42 billion spending plan may have gotten a mixed reception — but both Republicans and Democrats have their fingers crossed revenue from the state’s income tax will continue to flood state coffers.
Senior officials in Pritzker’s budget office are projecting individual income tax growth of $691 million in the 2021 fiscal year for a total of $20.1 billion in individual income tax revenues — a 3.6 percent increase as compared with 2020.
However, a report out this week prepared for the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability by Moody’s Analytics sounds a warning that the state’s economy may sour — and Illinois is among the states least prepared for a sudden downturn.
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Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday proposed a $42 billion spending plan for the 2021 fiscal year — a budget he called “balanced,” but puts an asterisk next to $1.4 billion in spending on education, human services and funds for local governments.
Gov. JB Pritzker leaves the podium in the House Chamber after delivering his Budget Address for the 2021 fiscal year Wednesday. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
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Plastic forks would have to be requested by patrons under a proposed law.
K J PAYNE/FLICKR
A coalition of Democratic lawmakers and environmental groups on Tuesday introduced a package of bills aimed at reducing plastic consumption and waste, including banning Styrofoam and imposing a statewide 10-cent fee on plastic bags.
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot Tuesday blasted President Donald Trump’s decision to commute the 14-year prison sentence of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted of trying to sell President Barack Obama’s former Senate seat as well as extorting the CEO of a Chicago’s children’s hospital and owners of racetrack.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot answers questions from reporters. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
