Illinois General Assembly

Read the transcript from our April 23 edition of Talk-Line: Brandon Clark from the Shaw Local News Network discusses a controversial homeschool bill trying to be passed through the Illinois legislature, plus more from Sterling.

On the April 23 edition of Talk-Line: Brandon Clark from the Shaw Local News Network discusses news stories being covered, including a controversial homeschool bill trying to be passed through the Illinois legislature.

In 2021, Illinois ranked 46th in a University of Kansas study of states’ spending on intellectual and developmental disabilities services, though in recent years the state has increased funding

When Illinois named small farmer Nathan Ryder a finalist for a federal $100,000 Local Food Infrastructure Grant, he made big plans for his farm in the southeastern tip of the state. Then the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut his funding.

Read the transcript from our TALK-LINE interview featuring Illinois 37th District State Senator Li Arellano of Dixon.

The TALK-LINE interview for April 18 featured Illinois 37th District State Senator Li Arellano of Dixon discussing the most recent action taken up in the current legislative session.

Federal agents asked state Sen. Emil Jones III to wear a wire against a politically connected hospital CEO and his fellow lawmakers in Springfield, the senator testified Thursday in his own defense at his federal corruption trial.

Bill in the Illinois Senate would create a statewide public defender’s office

The Illinois House gave its approval to legislation that would give high school athletes a limited right to compete in non-school events or on non-school teams during the same season in which they play for their school

A bill in Springfield would regulate the mink industry at the state level, creating mink farm licensing and requirements. But proponents and opponents have two vastly different opinions on what the bill really aims to do.

Prosecutors allege state Sen. Emil Jones III agreed to accept bribes from a red-light camera entrepreneur-turned-FBI cooperator in exchange for changing a piece of legislation he’d proposed in early 2019 that the cooperator worried could harm his industry.

The proposal, amended twice in recent weeks, would require parents to file a declaration of intent with their regional office of education. If a truancy investigation arises, officials could ask for schoolwork or lesson plans

New legislation aims to increase transparency and safeguard victims in inmate releases

The Illinois House shot down legislation that would have allowed some people incarcerated for crimes they committed when they were under 21 to become eligible for release

Illinois Senate passes bill limiting vehicle searches based on burnt cannabis smell

New bills proposed to reform police hiring in light of Massey case

The Illinois House voted 114-0 to approve House Bill 1226, which would raise the age that seniors must take a driving exam to renew their licenses from 79 to 87

Illinois has been at the forefront of the data center boom, but state lawmakers are working to gauge and mitigate the impact these centers have on climate and energy consumption

A bill that would eliminate the statute of limitations for cases of involuntary servitude or trafficking passed the Illinois House on Tuesday

The House voted 67-39 to advance House Bill 3637, which would put new protections in state law to safeguard health care licenses for providers who offer abortion care and guarantees continued access to abortion medication even if the medication’s approval is rescinded

Nursing home industry officials are urging Illinois lawmakers to increase the rates they receive from the state’s Medicaid system, arguing the current rates are outdated and are forcing many facilities around the state out of business.

Illinois Senate Democrats voiced their support Thursday for a bill that would create a program to streamline high school students’ college application processes, reducing fees and making higher education more affordable

SB 98 would amend the Illinois School Code to implement a mandatory one-year expulsion for any public school student who is determined by that district’s school board to have committed sexual assault, sexual harassment

Two elections have come and gone since the Illinois General Assembly passed new legislative maps, and Democrats’ attorneys argue in a new court filing that Illinois Republicans have lost their opportunity to challenge the maps in court

More than 175 years after their reservation in Illinois was illegally sold at auction, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is now in line to get their land back.

The chair of the House Higher Education Committee refused to call a vote on a bill that would authorize community colleges to offer four-year bachelor’s degree programs in select, high-demand career fields

A Senate committee passed a bill this week that would give specialized training on human trafficking and establish coordination across multiple state agencies and partners

After nearly three hours of debate before a packed hearing room, a House committee on Wednesday voted to advance a bill that would impose new requirements on homeschooling

An Illinois House committee moved to overhaul how Illinois police officers execute search warrants in response to the botched 2019 raid at Anjanette Young’s home, which includes banning what’s often called “no-knock” warrants

Advocates urge child welfare agency to ensure full compliance with existing law

Senate Bill 2427, sponsored by Sen. Christina Castro, D-Elgin, would require all school boards to adopt policies prohibiting the use of wireless communication devices during instructional time

The TALK-LINE interview for March 14 featured Illinois 74th District state Rep. Brad Fritts discussing the time table of General Assembly work underway plus comments concerning Governor Pritzker’s budget address, work in various committees, map re-districting and more.

Some lawmakers are pushing for Illinois to join eight other states that have legalized internet gambling, also known as iGaming

A defense attorney contends Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s Office has no authority to prosecute a Republican political consultant accused of sending obscene messages to a Democratic state lawmaker.

One bill would reclassify a fentanyl overdose as a “poison,” while another would consider major fentanyl possessors a threat to public safety. The bills have attracted bipartisan support

“There’s no way they can cut that much out of the federal budget without touching Medicaid, because Medicaid is such a substantial portion of the discretionary funds that they have access to,” Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, said

The General Assembly’s bipartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability released a new fiscal year 2026 revenue projection that is $737 million short of the proposal Pritzker introduced last month

Illinois faces potential energy shortfalls and all-but-guaranteed price spikes for northern Illinois this summer, consumer and environmental advocates say. Lawmakers and advocates in Springfield have proposed bills that they say would address their concerns

As the cost of housing continues to rise, Illinois realtors are pushing legislation to make it easier for first-time homebuyers to save for a down payment

Public transportation reform in the Chicago area is at the top of state lawmakers’ to-do list this spring, but exactly what that reform will look like remains unclear

To critics’ ears, however, Pritzker’s speech signaled he has his eye on the White House in 2028

Republican state Reps. Jeff Keicher and Steve Reick are inviting residents to take part in a live telephone town hall Wednesday, an opportunity to discuss issues affecting local communities.

Illinois lawmakers are considering legalizing a controversial medical practice that proponents say could ease suffering for the terminally ill

Hoping to resolve a legal challenge, a group of suburban Republican leaders on Friday announced it is reopening applications for the vacant 26th Senate District seat.

“If you come to the table looking to spend more, I’m going to ask you where you want to cut,” Pritzker said during his budget address

The governor's proposal would eliminate a health care program for low-income noncitizens aged 42-64 who are in the U.S. without legal permission

One of the major issues facing Illinois is growing electricity demand from data centers, large facilities that run computers for artificial intelligence companies, stock exchanges and other high-tech enterprises

An Illinois Senate committee advanced a bill on Tuesday that would strictly limit police’s ability to search a vehicle after smelling cannabis

A day ahead of Gov. JB Pritzker’s annual budget address Wednesday, Senate Republicans said they want budget negotiations to include cuts to noncitizen spending while bringing in “transparent accounting.”

37th District State Senator from Dixon, Li Arellano, comments on the governor’s budget address next week and a move by some Republican senators to make monies spent more transparent to the state