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MAY 11, 2018
Victim protection - The Illinois Senate approved a bill Thursday which would extend the statute of limitations on adult sexual assault charges to a full year after the sexual assault is discovered by the victim. Sen. Jill Tracy (R-Quincy) said SB2271 came about after a woman who was drugged later discovered video evidence that her assailant had sexually assaulted her while she was unconscious. Tracy said a loophole in the current statute of limitations left the woman unable to press charges. The bill cleared the chamber 50-0 and now moves to the House.
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MAY 10, 2018
The Illinois Senate Wednesday approved a measure aimed to protect immigrant tenants from discrimination by landlords.
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MAY 10, 2018
Civic Fed Dings Rauner Budget - In a fiscal analysis released Wednesday, the Civic Federation said it did not support Gov. Bruce Rauner's proposed budget for FY2019, calling it "precariously balanced" and asserting it does not sufficiently address the state's $7.7 billion backlog. The group's Institute for Illinois' Fiscal Sustainability focused its caution on the governor's projected $1.8 billion revenue plan which relies on the sale of the James R. Thompson Center, "speculative" group health plan savings, and shifting pension costs to Chicago Public Schools. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall said in the release: “The possibility of renewed political stalemate hangs over Springfield, and it would be financially reckless to wait until after the upcoming election to start working toward long-term stabilization. The state narrowly avoided a downgrade to junk status last year and another impasse could squander recent progress.” [Civic Federation Report: Governor's FY2019 Budget Proposal]
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On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee approved a bill to allow THC-infused prescription medication in schools. The bill bans medical cannabis from being smoked in schools, since it is already barred in Illinois for those younger than 18.
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MAY 09, 2018
Party leaders of both the Illinois House and Senate met with Gov. Bruce Rauner Tuesday to discuss the state’s budgeting process, while a group of state senators urged lawmakers to change Chicago's gang database.
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MAY 08, 2018
Equal Rights Amendment supporters have rallied a coalition of women groups who are scheduled to lobby the statehouse Tuesday, calling for Illinois House members to vote for the amendments long-awaited ratification. At least eight buses have been chartered to bring the groups from across the state for ERA Lobby Day.
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MAY 07, 2018
Coroner accused of holding bodies hostage - In a grim story about counties where impoverished people struggle to pay for the burial of their deceased, one county coroner has them sign over the rights to the bodies of their loved ones, leaving them without a death certificate, then withholds the cremated remains until he’s paid $1,000. The Associated Press’ Sara Burnett reports that, in one such case, a bereaved widow said Adams County Coroner James Keller, who also works as a funeral director, told her: “if she didn't pay, he'd bury the ashes in a cemetery and not reveal the location.” [AP]
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MAY 07, 2018
Lawmakers are streaming back to Springfield this week to start a jam-packed final month of session, and state agency meetings will also in full-swing across the capital city. But on Monday, the slate is lighter, with only a few key events concentrated in Chicago.
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MAY 04, 2018
On a unanimous 56-0 vote Wednesday, the Illinois Senate cleared an anti-carjacking measure drafted by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office which aims to crackdown on juvenile offenders.
The legislation is Emanuel’s latest tough-on-crime campaign tout following months of reporting on the nearly 1,000 carjackings recorded in Chicago last year, a 10-year high in the city. And after months of political attacks by Emanuel’s mayoral challenger, the city’s former top cop.
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MAY 03, 2018
The contributions of Illinois’ lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people would find their place in middle school history lessons under a bill passed by the state Senate Wednesday.
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