Rep. Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa), left, and Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) hold a news conference in Springfield in November. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]    

Gov. JB Pritzker signed 17 bills on Friday, concluding his bill signings for the first half of the 103rd General Assembly. Among the bills signed Friday was a long-awaited plan to lift the state’s 1980s-era ban on building new nuclear reactors.  

U.S. Rep. Mike Bost and Darren Bailey picked up key endorsements from top Republican figures as they battle in the March primary. And Monday was the last day to file objections to candidates’ petitions for the March 19 primary.  

Gov. JB Pritzker signs the assault weapons ban into law in January. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

The Illinois Attorney General filed a petition to reject a request to the U.S. Supreme Court from opponents of Illinois’ assault weapons ban that asks the justices to issue an emergency injunction to block the law to allow for more appeals in lower courts.  

A series of recommendations being considered by the General Assembly could result in major changes for Chicago-area public transit agencies.  

Illinois lawmakers are in receipt of a report from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) with a list of recommendations to make public transportation more accessible for residents and financially sustainable for transit agencies in the Chicagoland region.  

Candidates line up outside the State Board of Elections in Springfield on Nov. 27. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Illinois Republicans are hoping to make a dent in Democrats’ large supermajority in the General Assembly in 2024, though the party also faces natural headwinds that traditionally favor Democrats in years voters will also cast a ballot for president of the United States. 

Across the aisle, Democrats are eying new pick-up opportunities to boost the supermajority in districts currently held by Republicans but where Democrats running for statewide offices have performed well

The Illinois Capitol    

Petition filing wrapped up on Monday, setting the stage for several General Assembly races to go straight to November’s general election, though many races are unlikely to be competitive as they feature Republicans running for seats in Chicago, candidates attempting to take down deeply entrenched lawmakers or districts that heavily favor one party.   

The end of filing also cleared the way for 54 candidates to likely cruise to new terms in the General Assembly after no opponents filed to challenge them, though local parties can appoint a general election opponent for the race later.  

Construction crews begin to build the winterized tent camp for migrants on the vacant lot at 37th Street and California Avenue in Brighton Park on Nov. 29, 2023. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago   

A tent encampment for migrants at a parking lot in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood will not go forward, the state announced on Tuesday after reviewing an environmental study that found pollution in the soil at the site.  

Candidates for office line up outside the State Board of Elections office in Springfield last week. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

The General Assembly will see 35 primary match ups on March 19, barring any petition challenges, after candidates finished turning in petitions by Monday’s 5 p.m. filing deadline.  

Candidates of all types are facing primaries this year, including incumbent Chicago Democrats, conservative downstate Republicans deemed not conservative enough by their opponents, and new candidates jockeying for positions after the incumbent announced they would not seek reelection.  

Former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores (R-Texas) speaks at a news conference in Chicago Thursday with House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna). [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

As Chicago and the state step up new efforts to find shelter for migrants as winter settles in, Illinois Republicans enlisted help from former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores (R-Texas) as part of new criticism from the party of the state and city’s handling of the crisis.  

Gov. JB Pritzker signs Illinois’ assault weapons ban in January. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]

Opponents to Illinois’ assault weapons ban have asked the U.S. Supreme Court for an emergency injunction to block the law while appeals wind their way through the legal system. The petition comes about a month after a federal appeals panel in Chicago upheld the law.