State & Local News Headlines

SPRINGFIELD – A measure giving Illinois voters the opportunity to consider a millionaire’s tax is one step closer to the November ballot. House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 21 would raise the tax rate on income more than $1 million from 4.95% to 7.95%. State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, argued in favor of his resolution…

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Senator Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) has announced the recent passage of Senate Joint Resolution 29, honoring the life and sacrifice of U.S. Army Specialist Anthony William “Tony” Gilman. The resolution designates Illinois Route 96 from the City of Mozier to the Pike County line as the “Army Specialist Anthony William Gilman Highway.”…

In a mid-March poll, 68 percent of likely Illinois voters said they would support legislation to “regulate data centers to minimize their impact on our utility bills, climate, and water while still allowing them to be built.” But while 21 percent opposed the legislation, more than half of those opponents (56 percent) said they did…

It’s now unclear whether prosecutors will pursue a new trial. McClain reported for his two-year sentence just on Dec. 29 at an administrative security federal medical center with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp, according to the Bureau of Prisons website. Judge Manish Shah granted McClain until that time to report for his sentence as part…

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Senator Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) welcomed more than 60 high school students from 14 schools across the 50th Legislative District to her annual Youth Advisory Council (YAC), held in Springfield. “It is always inspiring to see so many young people take an active interest in how their state government works,” said Senator…

State government revenues were up $1.571 billion at the end of the third quarter, according to the most recent report from the legislature’s bipartisan, bicameral Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.  The almost $1.6 billion in new revenues is an increase of 4.2 percent. The state budget was crafted last year with an expectation that…

AFSCME Council 31, which represents roughly 350 employees, says the move violates the state’s Employment of Strikebreakers Act, which classifies such conduct as a Class A misdemeanor. According to the complaint, the striking members involved work as building services, grounds, and dietary employees responsible for maintaining student dormitories and preparing meals in campus dining halls.

It could be a few years before lawmakers revisit the concept. The next deadline for approving constitutional amendments is early May 2028, six months ahead of the presidential election.

In 2025, new affordable units in Chicago will cost *at least* $679K a pop to build.

David Greising, of the Better Government Association: "And as happens in Illinois too often, the legislature could well pass a momentous bill — one that could shift hundreds of millions of dollars in tax burden from megaproject investors to their neighbors and even the state — without serious study of the knock-on impacts on property […]

Her status as an investor in Semafor is not disclosed in the program, which is available on Apple podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music.

The teachers union in a letter to its members Thursday said it has 800 students and staff registered to attend a May Day training at the Operation Push headquarters, and expects thousands more students and educators participating in this year’s May Day events compared to last year. “We are building momentum for a pro-Democracy movement that […]

For teachers and students not participating in May Day rallies, CTU and Mayor Brandon Johnson are calling for civic engagement activities in school. CPS CEO Macquline King said no students will be required to participate in civic engagement activities.

Illinois Department of Human Serviuces Secretary Dulce Quintero told the Illinois House Appropriations – Health and Human Services Committee the department would need $40 million to hire 450 new caseworkers. And state Rep. Dagmara Avelar's House Bill 4720, creating one-time emergency assistance payments of $600, is estimated to cost the state $125 million.

"Lawmakers in Springfield are advancing House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28, which would rewrite the priority order used to draw legislative districts. The proposal keeps equal population as the top requirement but elevates race-based considerations, including directing mapmakers to create 'racial coalition or influence districts,' before turning to compactness and contiguity."