Pictured: Transgender pride flags. [Ted Eytan / CC BY-SA 2.0]

Following a Senate committee hearing debate on Wednesday, a bill that would eliminate a requirement for anyone legally changing their name to post a notice in Illinois newspapers now heads to the Senate floor for the last day of the General Assembly’s veto session.  

Pictured: A pile of dollar bills. [401(K) 2012 / CC BY-SA 2.0]

Erin Compton, an Illinois student and developmental disabilities advocate, on Wednesday urged state lawmakers to join citizens in “making history” and “make a difference” in voting to pass a law that would eliminate sub-minimum wage pay for people with disabilities. 

Compton, who has Down syndrome, said during the Wednesday Senate committee hearing she is currently a student at the College of DuPage and recently danced professionally in a disabilities dance festival in South Africa. She also is among the youngest appointees to the State Rehabilitation Council and told lawmakers Wednesday she works with the Chicago Cubs as a ticket scanner and greeter. 

“Some people said that having a job isn't for me because I am not smart enough or good enough to work,” Compton said. “But I was given opportunities to work in the community and have to have a fair wage.”  

Pictured: "I Voted' sticker. [U.S. Department of State / Public Domain]

With Nov. 5 general election results set to be certified early next month, Illinois election officials gave a general update during the state Board of Elections meeting Tuesday morning. 

The oral and written meeting reports included explanations for unofficial election result reporting delays in the state, including lines after polls closing in Champaign County and election judge errors in Chicago. However, the precinct delays were few and far between, with about 2 percent of the state’s election jurisdictions, according to meeting documents. 

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (left) and Rep. Marcus Evans Jr. (D-Chicago, right) tell reporters about a new statewide initiative to install more electric vehicle charging stations during a Monday news conference in Joliet. [Livestream / @GovPritzker]

While President-elect Donald Trump has promised to get rid of a federal program giving tax credits to electric vehicle (EV) owners, Illinois residents are about to see more EV charging stations pop up throughout the state thanks to an initiative led by state government officials.   

Gov. JB Pritzker, alongside public and private-sector officials, announced the new program during a Monday news conference in Joliet. The city is the first to receive one of the new state-issued stations funded under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), according to the governor.

Pictured: Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. [Warren LeMay / CC BY 2.0]

From Illinois statehouse Republicans urging earnest discussions with Democrats to majority party leaders praising what they call a success of a newer medical debt relief bill, here’s what has happened during the Illinois General Assembly’s fall veto session so far. 

Lawmakers are set to return to Springfield for round two on Tuesday, with anticipated discussions including a proposed bill that would eliminate giving workers with disabilities less than minimum wage.

Pictured: A marijuana plant leaf. [Elsa Olofsson, CBD Oracle / CC BY 2.0]

Though their products are derived from the same plant, hemp and cannabis industry leaders remain in disagreement about proposed changes to Illinois hemp testing and licensing rules. 

The reactions come as Illinois lawmakers continue discussions regarding proposed new testing and licensing requirements following a Tuesday committee meeting in Springfield.

David Lakeman (left), cannabis and hemp manager with the IDOA, and Sam McGee (right), counsel for the IDOA, answer questions for members of the General Assembly's Joint Committee on Administrative Rules meeting on Nov. 12, 2024 in Springfield. [Livestream]

Illinois legislators postponed action for rule changes to the Industrial Hemp Act until next month so state agriculture department officials can meet with people who could be most affected by the rules, including private testing facilities, and better clarify their intent in the proposed new rules. 

Illinois State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) talks with reporters alongside fellow GOP colleagues during a Nov. 14, 2024 press conference. [Livestream]

Upon their return to Springfield early this week, Illinois Senate Republicans voiced concerns about the state’s looming $3.2 billion budget deficit projection. 

Former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn talks to reporters about voters being in favor of a proposed non-binding millionaire tax referendum during a Nov. 12, 2024 press conference in Springfield. [Livestream]

Former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn said state voters showed sizable support for a graduated income tax structure affecting millionaires that would help give homeowners property tax relief. 

A map shows where the Mahomet Aquifer traverses Central Illinois. [City of Champaign] 

After more than an hour of debate, members of an Illinois committee on Wednesday held back a bill to ban carbon capture, or carbon sequestrations, near aquifers that are primary drinking water sources within the state.