New letters and text messages to residents in the 20th Senate District from a pair of primary candidates are raising questions for some voters. And Gov. JB Pritzker remains skeptical of putting any state money toward a new stadium for the Chicago Bears as the team pledges $2 billion for a public-private partnership. 

The Illinois Capitol   

Consistent economic growth is leading the General Assembly’s independent budget commission to issue another positive revenue revision for Fiscal Year 2024, but a slowing economy could lead to tighter revenue projections in Fiscal Year 2025, according to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA). 

Members of various Illinois business associations speak at a news conference in Springfield on May 19, 2023. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]    

Much-demanded reform to the state’s biometric information privacy law is moving through the legislature after several years of business groups demanding reform to stave off massive legal settlement for businesses of all sizes.  

The Illinois Capitol

The Illinois Education Association (IEA) discussed the results of its sixth annual State of Education report on Tuesday – the only bipartisan poll in Illinois monitoring residents’ views on public schools.  

The virtual news conference was joined by IEA President Al Llorens and pollsters Jill Normington and Pat Brady. Brady is the former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. 

Illinois Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Chris Miller (R-Hindsboro), left, and Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City), far right, and Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dietrich), second from right, attend an announcement in Chicago in May 2022 establishing the Illinois Freedom Caucus. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Three members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus, the Illinois House’s most conservative members, are fighting for their political careers — and their brand — in March 19 primaries that will ask Republicans in some of the state’s most conservative districts which brand of Republican politics they want representing them in Springfield.  

Two of the three members facing a primary are up against challengers heavily funded by teacher unions and are seeking more effective representative in contrast to the Freedom Caucus’ often hardline opposition to most policies passed by the General Assembly. 

Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) leads the House Judiciary- Criminal Committee on Monday. [Blue Room Stream] 

Not enough murder cases are getting solved, and Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) believes he has a pair of solutions to improve clearance rates at Illinois police departments on murder cases and unlock years-old cold cases.  

   

Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago) presents a bill in the Senate Labor Committee on Wednesday. [Blue Room Stream]   

It’s often said the most treacherous subjects to broach with any audience are politics and religion. Under a bill advanced by a Senate committee on Wednesday, employees would no longer be required to sit through a meeting that features those two topics.  

Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) presents the plan for the Chicago elected school board on Thursday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

After years of debate, and more recently months of disagreement over implementation, plans have been finalized by the General Assembly to establish an elected school board in Chicago for the first time in almost 30 years.  

Chicago Police officers oversee a protest. [Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago] 

Just two weeks after the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Board of Education unanimously voted to ban police officers from CPS, a House committee advanced a measure that would put decisions about school resource officers (SRO) back in the hands of Local School Councils (LSC).  

Gov. JB Pritzker is celebrating plans by electric vehicle maker Rivian to build their newest vehicle model in Normal. Senate Republicans want to establish a new reporting requirement for all spending on asylum seekers. And House Republicans presented a package to fight against human trafficking.