Senate Democrats released new Chicago elected school board maps ahead of the final week of veto session. And Legislative Audit Commission co-chair Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) plans to call for a new audit into the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

Illinois Supt. Tony Sanders speaks at a news conference at Streamwood High School in U-46 on March 3. [Gov. JB Pritzker/Facebook]  

Performance measures of schools and students in Illinois continue to improve since the pandemic as spending on K-12 public education continues to increase, new data from the Illinois State Board of Education’s (ISBE) annual School Report Card shows.    

Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Lisa Hernandez speaks at the party’s gala at the Field Museum on Friday. [Blue Room Stream] 

The Democratic Party of Illinois held their first gala fundraiser on Friday as the party gears up for 2024 and Chicago’s role as the host city of the Democratic National Convention (DNC).    

Senate Minority Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove) speaks to advocates supporting Invest in Kids following session on Thursday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Lawmakers passed the first week of veto session without taking any steps on resolving a number of major issues the General Assembly is expected to take up.    

The Senate takes a moment of silence on Wednesday to honor lives lost in the war between Israel and Gaza. [Blue Room Stream] 

Discussing the war between Israel and Gaza has been a heated topic on social media, among government officials and on the streets of Chicago. The Illinois Senate spent about a half hour on Wednesday hearing from four senators on how the war has impacted their constituents but avoided any heated debate on the topic.    

Rep. Larry Walsh (D-Elmwood) and local Ameren workers hold a news conference in Springfield on Wednesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]    

A controversial bill that gives existing downstate power companies the “right of first refusal” on new power line projects will not be recalled for a veto override this spring, the bill’s supporters announced on Wednesday.   

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) presents his bill in the House on Wednesday. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

The House approved a plan on Wednesday that will allow legislative staff to form a union and collectively bargain, but the bill’s future in the Senate is uncertain. 

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) presents a bill to allow legislative staff to unionize. Members of Welch’s staff who have pushed to form a union sit behind him. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line] 

Members of House Speaker Chris Welch’s (D-Hillside) staff have publicly pressured Welch over the last half a year to allow legislative staff to form a union. In an effort to acknowledge his staff’s efforts, Welch successfully passed a measure through committee on Tuesday that would allow legislative staff to collectively bargain.  

Gov. JB Pritzker announced he is pushing a new state agency to focus on early childhood education. And Sen. Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) introduced a plan to allow members of the Chicago elected school board to be paid.    

Lawmakers return to session on Tuesday for the first time since May.    

Gov. JB Pritzker has only issued a few vetoes in his five years in office, but this summer he vetoed or amended six bills. While the fall veto session during most of his tenure has been marked by lawmakers tackling other issues, lawmakers could reconsider some of Pritzker’s vetoes this week.   

Other issues on the table include the hotly debated Invest in Kids scholarship program, the ability for legislative staff to unionize and maps for Chicago’s elected school board districts. The General Assembly will meet Tuesday through Thursday this week and then return for three more days on Nov. 6-9.