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

After hitting a wall at the end of the 2023 spring session, Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) is making a new proposal to reform the state’s biometric privacy laws that he hopes businesses will be on board with.  

Illinois Farm Bureau President Brian Duncan and a group of state lawmakers present an estate tax reform plan at the Illinois Farm Bureau in Bloomington last week. [Blue Room Stream]   

A bipartisan group of lawmakers representing rural communities is hoping to move forward a plan this week that raises the trigger level for the estate tax for farms to provide Illinois farming families more certainty about the future of their business.  

Darren Bailey, left, and U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), right, are competing in the 12th Congressional District Republican primary in 2024.     

The final quarter of 2023 allowed incumbent members of Illinois’ congressional delegation to widen their fundraising leads over primary challengers, according to reports filed on Wednesday with the Federal Elections Commissions — the last reports ahead of the March 19 primary.  

Gov. JB Pritzker criticized the Chicago City Council’s resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. And the Department of Healthcare and Family Services began implementing co-pays to reduce state costs in a healthcare program for undocumented residents.  

From left to right, Geary Yonker, Dave Nayak, Graciela Guzman and Sen. Natalie Toro (D-Chicago) are running in the 20th Senate District Democratic primary.    

It’s one of the most expensive primary races of the year and one that will weigh the influence of a powerful teachers’ union, legislative leader and history of progressive community involvement as four candidates fight for the Democratic nomination in the 20th Senate District on the Northwest Side of Chicago. 

The Illinois State Board of Elections meets in Chicago on Tuesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Former President Donald Trump can remain on the Illinois primary ballot despite questions about his qualifications for office following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the Illinois State Board of Elections ruled unanimously on Tuesday.  

The Illinois State Board of Elections 

Illinois could become the third state to kick former President Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot at a hearing on Tuesday for his role in the Jan. 6 riot. However, with the U.S. Supreme Court also weighing the question, Illinois’ decision may also be left up to judges instead of the appointed board of four Democrats and four Republicans.  

Rep. Nicole La Ha (R-Homer Glen) takes the oath of office in December alongside her family. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Rep. Nicole La Ha (R-Homer Glen) has worn a lot of hats over her career — from dental hygienist to small business owner to Mrs. America. Now she takes a new job as a state representative hoping to offer some stability to a seat that had three different representatives in 2023.  

Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Caledonia) speaks at a news conference earlier this month. The graphic on the right shows which counties in Illinois are most deprived of local news, according to the task force report. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

More than 200 newspapers and 86 percent of journalism jobs in Illinois have disappeared since 2005. Some counties don’t have any sources of news. The decline of journalism is leaving residents across Illinois more uninformed about what is happening in their local governments and that’s a problem the General Assembly should consider fixing, according to a report from a state task force. 

 

Rep. Marua Hirshaurer (D-Batavia) speaks at a news conference in Chicago on Wednesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

With two headline-grabbing domestic violence shootings in the last week, lawmakers and advocates are renewing calls for a bill to close what they believe is a loophole in state law that has allowed accused domestic abusers to keep guns even after an order of protection is issued.