• As a 2-year-old bill that gives state officials the green light to sell the James R. Thompson Center awaits Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature, Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) said he still hasn’t seen a new proposal for the much-loved and -loathed building.
  • State Sen. Jacqueline Collins calls for crackdown on nursing home violations, safeguards for residents and their families. [Illinois Senate Democrats]
    Powerful lobbying group AARP Illinois on Wednesday unveiled a pair of bills that would provide a tax credit for family caregivers who pay out-of-pocket for home care expenses and would force nursing homes in Illinois to abide by the state’s minimum staffing requirements.

    The measure would also curb the practice of giving nursing home patients psychotropic drugs without express permission.

  • The starvation death of 2-year-old Ta'Naja Barnes last month — even after the girl had been the subject of multiple investigations by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services — has roiled Central Illinois, and on Tuesday a House panel questioned DCFS’ interim chief about how the toddler slipped through the cracks.

  • Senate Majority Leader Kim Lightford (D-Maywood), flanked by State Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) and Gov. JB Pritzker speak with reporters at the Capitol. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
    The managed care organizations that act as intermediaries between hospitals and a majority of Medicaid recipients in Illinois are getting rich from denying payment to hospitals, according to several Democratic lawmakers who said Tuesday it may be time to end the program.

  • Illinois Municipal League officials said Monday that local governments are hard pressed to survive on their share of the state's income tax. [Submitted]
    The Illinois Municipal League is demanding Illinois return to sharing 10 percent of its income tax revenue with local governments — practice abandoned in the last eight years — while also combining the more than 650 downstate police and fire pension funds, which are in varying levels of fiscal health.

  • Gov. JB Pritzker and wife M.K. take photos with supporters in the Old State Capitol on Jan. 13, the day before Pritzker’s inauguration. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
    In a break from past practices, First Lady M.K. Pritzker will have her own office in both the Illinois Capitol and the James R. Thompson Center. Meanwhile, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability is concerned with the long term trend of more lower-paying jobs in Illinois and fewer higher-earning jobs in Illinois.

  • If Illinois wants to achieve its self-imposed goal of recording zero new HIV infections by 2030, officials remove barriers between those most at risk for the disease and the medication that can prevent its transmission, lawmakers heard Friday.

  • A coalition of groups and lawmakers unveiled an ambitious bill to move Illinois to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. [Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition]
    An ambitious bill unveiled in Springfield Thursday would set a deadline to move Illinois to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 — a dramatic increase from the 4 percent renewable energy Illinois currently uses, and the 25-percent goal by 2025 set by a previous law.

  • State Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) told reporters Wednesday that it was wrong a heart medication for a dog is less expensive than a heart medication for a human. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
    House Democrats on Wednesday introduced a six-bill package aimed at bringing down the cost of prescription drugs, tackling an issue typically reserved for federal lawmakers.

  • State Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Raymond), along with other members of the House Republican Caucus, introduces a House Resolution opposing a constitutional change to a progressive income tax — Gov. JB Pritzker’s top priority — in Springfield on Wednesday. [Hannah Meisel/The Daily Line]
    Illinois’ House Republican Caucus on Wednesday introduced a resolution of opposition to any attempt to change Illinois’ constitution to permit a graduated income tax — Gov. JB Pritzker’s top priority.