Illinois General Assembly

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who offer abortion care and guarantees continued access to abortion medication even if the medication’s approval is rescinded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Illinois lawmakers to increase the rates they receive from the state’s Medicaid system, arguing the current rates are outdated and are forcing many facilities around the state out of business.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

A Barrington Hills village trustee and children's charity founder has been tapped as the new state senator for Illinois’ 26th Senate District.

Gov. JB Pritzker will present his seventh budget proposal Wednesday as the state faces a projected $3.2 billion revenue shortfall for fiscal2026

Valentine's Day is the final day Illinoisans can vote on whether they want a new state flag.

Karina Gonzalez and her 15-year-old daughter Daniela were shot and killed on Fourth of July weekend in 2023 at their Chicago home, allegedly by her husband. After more than a year of negotiations, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill in her honor Monday.

For the second legislative session in a row, state Sen. Willie Preston, D-Chicago, is pushing to ban several chemicals from Illinois food items.

Foster care officials will have to prioritize placing children with their relatives under a new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday.

Republican lawmakers put forward a proposal to expel students who sexually assault another student at school.

With prescription drug costs soaring, Illinois lawmakers announced legislation this week reviving efforts to create a prescription drug affordability board with the goal of capping the growing cost of medication.

It was a well-known aphorism during former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s record 36 years in power that while others in the state’s political realm were merely playing checkers, the longtime Democratic powerbroker was playing chess.

When shortform video platform TikTok shut down service earlier this month, the move surprised some Illinois politicians who use the app to educate, reach constituents and follow trends.

State Rep. Martin McLaughlin says he's interested in filling the Illinois Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Dan McConchie, who has announced his plan to step down.