Rep. Larry Walsh (D-Elmwood) and local Ameren workers hold a news conference in Springfield on Wednesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]    

A controversial bill that gives existing downstate power companies the “right of first refusal” on new power line projects will not be recalled for a veto override this spring, the bill’s supporters announced on Wednesday.   

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) presents his bill in the House on Wednesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

The House approved a plan on Wednesday that will allow legislative staff to form a union and collectively bargain, but the bill’s future in the Senate is uncertain. 

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) presents a bill to allow legislative staff to unionize. Members of Welch’s staff who have pushed to form a union sit behind him. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Members of House Speaker Chris Welch’s (D-Hillside) staff have publicly pressured Welch over the last half a year to allow legislative staff to form a union. In an effort to acknowledge his staff’s efforts, Welch successfully passed a measure through committee on Tuesday that would allow legislative staff to collectively bargain.  

Gov. JB Pritzker announced he is pushing a new state agency to focus on early childhood education. And Sen. Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) introduced a plan to allow members of the Chicago elected school board to be paid.    

Lawmakers return to session on Tuesday for the first time since May.    

Gov. JB Pritzker has only issued a few vetoes in his five years in office, but this summer he vetoed or amended six bills. While the fall veto session during most of his tenure has been marked by lawmakers tackling other issues, lawmakers could reconsider some of Pritzker’s vetoes this week.   

Other issues on the table include the hotly debated Invest in Kids scholarship program, the ability for legislative staff to unionize and maps for Chicago’s elected school board districts. The General Assembly will meet Tuesday through Thursday this week and then return for three more days on Nov. 6-9.  

Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich), left, and Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet), right, speak at a news conference in Montrose, Illinois on Friday. [Blue Room Stream] 

Three weeks after a truck crash and ammonia leak killed five people and injured five others in Teutopolis, located near Effingham, local lawmakers have filed legislation they hope will keep drivers detouring around crashes inside construction zones safer.  

   

The Illinois Capitol 

With anxiety high in Jewish and Muslim communities as war rages between Israel and Hamas, two Illinois lawmakers who represent districts with a high concentration of members of both faiths are pushing the state to get grant funding out the door to help secure houses of worship.

Parents and students wearing blue t-shirts supporting the Invest in Kids scholarship program lobby lawmakers in the Capitol in May. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]

The General Assembly could consider a plan during veto session to continue the tax credit that drives the Invest in Kids scholarship program as advocates propose a plan they hope will get more lawmakers on board.    

Attorney General Kwame Raoul announces the results of an investigation into sexual abuse in the Catholic Church at a news conference in May. [State of Illinois]   

A 696-page report Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office released in May that investigated the depth of sexual abuse in the Catholic dioceses of Illinois has now led to a complaint with the Vatican against a top Church leader.  

From left to right, Chicago Board of Elections spokesperson Max Bever, State Board of Elections spokesperson Matt Dietrich, and State Board of Elections Deputy Director of Elections Operations Brian Pryor speak to the House Ethics and Elections Committee on Wednesday. [Blue Room Stream]   

The 2024 election is a little more than one year away while early voting for the March primary election begins in less than four months. Lawmakers on the House Ethics and Elections Committee held a hearing Wednesday to hear what Illinois’ election authorities do to keep the democratic process safe.