Springfield News
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The Senate on Thursday is set to vote on the bill that business groups called “forced unionization” and that the Senate Black Caucus refused to sign off on until there were guarantees that minority representation in trade unions will increase in meaningful ways.
State Sen. Mike Hastings said SB 1407 is needed to protect firms from hiring out-of-state workers. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line; submitted]
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Ahead of a vote on a constitutional amendment to allow Illinois’ to collect a graduated income tax — Gov. JB Pritzker’s top priority — state senators on Tuesday released the accompanying rates lawmakers will also have to vote on, which have been amended to address concerns about a so-called “marriage penalty.”
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Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced she will resurrect publication launched in the 1907s in a new digital format to get the word out about the state’s fiscal condition, while state officials detailed plans to borrow funds to reduce interest payments to the state’s health care system.
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The terms of half of the 22 members of the board charged with overseeing Illinois’ sex offender database have expired and only 5 percent of its budget is being spent, according to a recent Auditor General report.
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Gov. JB Pritzker announced nearly two dozen more appointments Friday, rounding out his 15th week in office with 124 appointees to head up state agencies and serve on state boards and task forces.
Democrat JB Pritzker addresses the party faithful at the 2018 Illinois Democratic County Chairs' Association Breakfast. [Photo courtesy of Lee Milner]
As part of The Daily Line’s occasional series on the diversity of Pritzker’s picks for these positions, 42 percent are women, while roughly 44 percent are minorities as of Friday, according to TDL’s analysis.
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Illinois officials plan to nearly double the amount of money the state spends to help gamblers who find themselves unable to stop placing wagers as lawmakers begin to craft a bill that could legalize sports betting.
“Let’s try to do it right the first time,” Orland Hills Mayor Kyle Hastings said. [Heather Cherone/The Daily Line]
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Gov. JB Pritzker vowed Wednesday to end the backlog at the Illinois State Police crime lab that contributes to Illinois’ ranking as the worst in the nation when it comes to solving homicides based on DNA evidence.
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Consumer advocates will attempt Wednesday to turn up the pressure on Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Commerce Commission over Peoples Gas’ expensive pipe-replacement program that critics blame for causing Chicago heating bills to skyrocket.
A crew works in 2015 to replace a gas line in Portage Park. [Heather Cherone/DNAinfo Chicago]
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Tuesday marks Gov. JB Pritzker’s 100th day in office — a milestone most lawmakers will celebrate away from Springfield during their two-week spring break before a final push to the end of the session May 31.
Gov. JB Pritzker addresses the news media. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
In a brief interview with The Daily Line on Monday, Pritzker counted a $15 minimum wage law, signing a gun dealer licensing law and a law that raises the smoking age to 21 among his accomplishments. Pritzker said he was proud of his proposal of rates for a graduated income tax, his signature issue, and his budget plan, which he presented to lawmakers in February.
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Before leaving town for the General Assembly’s two-week spring break, senators approved a bill that would allow for any of Illinois’ 10 existing riverboat casinos to pick up and move anywhere in the state — freeing them from a decades-long rule that confined casinos in Illinois to riverboats.
A gaming table. [Ralf Steinberger/Flickr]
The bill passed April 11 on a vote of 44-5, with 10 senators not voting.
