Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D-Aurora) is pictured on the House floor last March. [Blue Room Stream] 

Some non-citizens could be allowed to become firefighters in Illinois under a bill making its way through the House, which compliments legislation lawmakers approved last year that created a pathway for non-citizens to become police officers.  

However, House Republicans are now backtracking their support for allowing non-citizens to join the police force.  

Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria speaks at a bill signing ceremony with Gov. JB Pritzker in Peoria in 2022 establishing the co-responder pilot program. [Blue Room Stream]   

Illinois lawmakers are expressing interest in expanding the state’s co-responder pilot program as they consider legislation to add McHenry County to the list of early participants.  

Supports of the Let Parents Choose Protection Act, including Rep. Jen Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) and Attorney General Kwame Raoul, speak in the House Consumer Protection Committee on Wednesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

“It is not an exaggeration to say that social media companies know more about our children than we do,” Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) told the House Consumer Protection Committee Wednesday. “They have all this data, they’re collecting it, they’re targeting our children. The algorithms are designed to keep them laser-focused and on these apps. All we’re asking is that we not have open season on our children.”  

Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Terry Prince speaks during the Legislative Audit Commission on Wednesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

A legislative panel finally reviewed an audit released in 2022 that revealed an alternative story about the outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home in Fall 2020 that took the lives of 36 veterans.  

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) speaks at a news conference last month. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) has her eyes set on November’s contests after incumbent House Republicans came away from Tuesday night’s primaries with victories.  

U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, a Murphysboro Republican, speaks at his election night party on Tuesday night. [Blue Room Stream]   

It was a victorious night for three incumbent members of Illinois’ congressional delegation, who faced some of the most serious threats of their careers. Even with Congress’ approval rating at a low level, Illinois voters decided they liked how U.S. Reps. Mike Bost, a Murphysboro Republican, and Chicago Democrats Jesus “Chuy” Garcia and Danny Davis, represent them in Washington, D.C. 

From left to right, Graciela Guzman, Sen. Natalie Toro (D-Chicago), Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) and Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City). 

The primary election night drew to a close on Tuesday with two closely-watch incumbents, Sen. Natalie Toro (D-Chicago) and Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago), losing their seats in the General Assembly, while downstate, incumbent Republicans prevailed over challengers.  

Cook County Democratic voters also supported incumbent Supreme Court Justice Joy Cunningham in a race that asked voters to decide about the racial breakdown of the state’s high court.  

A Chicago voter participates in the 2022 primary. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]   

Two candidates have already clinched their party’s nomination for president of the United States. But Illinois voters will decide winners in several key primaries that will determine the vision they want representing their districts in Congress, Springfield and the Illinois Supreme Court.  

Sen. Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago) speaks at a news conference in Springfield last week. [Blue Room Stream] 

A group of leading Democrats and representatives from the business, labor and agriculture communities are pushing to pass a plan that could move forward carbon capture and storage (CCS) and make Illinois more competitive for federal incentives to support the technology. 

Gov. JB Pritzker is proposing capital funds in his Fiscal Year 2025 budget to rebuild a pair of state prisons. And House Republicans are calling for more action to eliminate licensing delays by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).