Black Caucus notches wins on education, criminal justice as health care proposals fall short in lame duck session 

Leaders of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus declared victory Wednesday after lawmakers approved most planks of their sweeping legislative package aimed at stamping out systemic racism during the final hours of the General Assembly’s lame duck session. 

The General Assembly approved bills overhauling state laws on education, criminal justice and economic development, but a companion suite of proposals aimed at closing racial disparities in health care failed to reach the finish line.

A flurry of last-minute moves on Tuesday upended the race for the next speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, less than a day before the chamber was set to begin voting.

The lengthy battle officially began on the second Wednesday of 1975. At the time, no one could have known it would take nearly two weeks and 93 ballots to select the 64^th speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. The drawn-out process, which pitted a “wheeler-dealer” backed by then-Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley against Democrats calling for a new era, ended with the selection of a consensus candidate that resulted in the state’s major political power brokers “taking a beating,” in the words of one reporter.

News in brief: Madigan suspends campaign for speaker; lawmakers approve first pillar of Black caucus agenda; Giannoulias launches listening tour, IL GOP outlines process to pick new chair

Linda Chapa LaVia resigned Monday after facing scrutiny during a legislative hearing regarding the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home.

Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA) director Linda Chapa LaVia resigned Monday, mere hours after facing intense scrutiny from members of the Illinois General Assembly over her handling of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home that has so far killed at least 36 residents.

Chapa LaVia’s resignation, which  Gov. JB Pritzker announced in a press release Monday afternoon, came less than two hours after the director signaled she had no plans to resign.

House lawmakers mill about as medical experts assist Rep. Darren Bailey after he collapsed on the floor of the Bank of Springfield convention center.

With less than a week until the adjournment of the 101^st General Assembly, lawmakers convened in Springfield over the weekend for a lame duck session that will decide the fate of a comprehensive agenda from the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and set the stage for the upcoming wide-open speaker’s race.

The condensed schedule and thousands of pages of legislation at the center of the Black Caucus agenda led Republicans and members of the law enforcement community to call for lawmakers to delay action — a point Democrats widely rejected, despite outstanding concerns expressed by labor unions.

Rep. Patrick Windhorst introduced an omnibus ethics and lobbying reform bill this week

A newly filed bill from a House Republican seeks to implement ethics reform proposals previously discussed by a bipartisan special commission that was created in response to federal investigations into lawmakers.

Introduced Tuesday by Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis), HB 5872 seeks, among many ideas, to implement a one-year ban on lobbying for former lawmakers and would require legislators to provide more financial disclosure information.

Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (center) said Thursday the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’ agenda will be the “heart and soul” of the lame duck session.

The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’ multifaceted agenda, ethics reform and other issues are set to be considered when the Illinois General Assembly reconvenes Friday for a multi-day lame duck session.  

The session, which begins with House lawmakers gathering at the Bank of Springfield Convention Center at noon, comes 229 days after the legislature wrapped up a 2020 session that was shortened to four days in May because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Willis, Williams become latest House speaker candidates; Pritzker expands vaccine distribution eligibility; decreased COVID-19 mitigations on the horizon; Pritzker calls for Trump’s impeachment; Miller condemned for Hitler quote

Willis, Williams become latest House speaker candidates; Pritzker expands vaccine distribution eligibility; decreased COVID-19 mitigations on the horizon; Pritzker calls for Trump’s impeachment; Miller condemned for Hitler quote.