Scott T. Holland

Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Utah have some form of taxes on electricity used as fuel.

Although Piephoff noted “no conclusions have been reached,” anyone who has followed reporting on this issue knows a federal investigation will quite likely verify established trends.

Shah declined to stay the case based on President Trump’s recent executive order calling for a pause and review of how the Justice Department enforces the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Privacy concerns belong in that conversation, but rejecting studies out of hand requires embracing a status quo in ignorance of consistently changing factors.

The government should never give itself more responsibility than it can manage or afford. Neither should it erect insurmountable barriers to employment, especially in fields where labor demand outstrips supply.

In a situation where IHSA’s broad policy causes unintended consequences, it’s easy to understand how a full-scale reversal could result in a similar number of albeit different problems.

'Since there is a shortage, (teachers) know that they can continue to move until they find the highest salary.'

Government isn’t a business that must perpetually grow to establish value for investors.

Sometimes the inbox delivers an unsolicited point-counterpoint example of exactly the type of fundamental politics that ought to command attention in Springfield.

Being unable to control how another government acts is rarely an impediment to discussing ramifications. And when there are harbingers of action, bracing for impact is fairly presented as due diligence.

The guilty plea spares a little emotion from a drawn-out trial, but there will be victim impact statements at sentencing and then life in prison for the killer. Too many other Illinois towns have their own grim anniversaries.

We can’t entirely legislate consumer behavior, especially when the broader market involves interests far beyond one family looking to settle.

Senate Bill 2040 would expand the Illinois Commerce Commission’s power to regulate vehicle towing companies.

Running a government means striking a balance between competing priorities. Leadership requires acknowledging mistakes, attempting amends and pursuing different solutions.

On this specific issue, courts have made it clear the status quo is unsustainable.

If one fix has been sufficiently attempted, trying another is reasonable.

The best time to make this change has long since passed, so the second best time is now.

The governor can’t just pull the plug on those programs in the current fiscal year as the money is already appropriated. Abruptly reversing course would be disruptive, unwise and likely illegal.

No legislation spontaneously lands on the governor’s desk, which makes paying attention to even efforts doomed to initial failure an important part of understanding the governmental process and the political priorities of those we send to Springfield.

I try to stay away from predictions, especially in the political sphere, an expected outcome from a couple of decades of guessing wrong more than right. So I’m not saying Pritzker will consider my next idea … but maybe he should.

Any candidate who can run even a modest turnout operation ought to succeed, especially in races where voters can make multiple choices.

The party in power has to make these changes. Republicans can’t do it alone, nor does their public relations campaign have influence unless and until it crosses over into motivating Democratic voters to either pressure incumbents or withhold electoral support.

Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights, filed House Bill 2396 four years ago today. Known as the “Full-Day Kindergarten” law, the bill passed the House 87-23 and the Senate 52-1.

'If the problems are fish in a barrel, the complaint contains an entire school of tuna.'

'Any legislative attempt to regulate homeschooling will be met with swift and certain opposition'

I’m officially atoning for repeated criticism about the General Assembly being slow to take advantage of the May 2018 U.S. Supreme Court opinion removing the barrier to legalized sports betting nationwide.

Lawmakers heard the concerns and put the $50 million in the fiscal 2025 budget. Crisis averted, right?

Neville further said "consistency between the two laws is essential" for both marijuana users and police, thereby giving lawmakers a path and the motivation to follow.

'It’s not punishment for the individual who committed the crime. It’s to protect all of our kids and to ensure that the people who committed the crimes get the help that they need.'

Congressional Republicans have resisted federal legislation to outlaw partisan political maps. Illinois Democrats create deeply red districts and dilute the voting power of their own constituents.

Law firms certainly don’t go broke doing this business. Property tax lawyers go to the mat for private clients against Chicago City Hall and taxing bodies across the state.

In politics, desert has become a useful noun, while adjectives help tell the story.

Titled “2024 Illinois’ National Rankings,” the 70-page document compares our state to the rest of the country in 23 categories covering tax rates and revenues, government spending and employment trends.

These aren’t forfeitures of items used in alleged crimes – an issue with its own tangled past – which means state police aren’t informed. Lawyers and judges presume the deals are on the level.

It’s important for regular folks and elected officials to have a working knowledge in order to participate in meaningful discussions about solutions.

Ambiguity might decrease if lawmakers were more explicitly prescriptive when establishing policy, but that’s often politically unpleasant compared to taking credit for at least passing something and then waiting it out for years while jurists finalize checks and balances.

'For transit to be useful, it has to be within walking distance of the places people are actually going. And the destinations where people are actually going are not in the middle of the freeway.'

Rather than cover the expected funding gap, the RTA said doing things right actually would cost twice as much: $1.5 billion. Further, the report calls for "a strengthened RTA to oversee region-wide minimum service standards."

If you’re not subscribed to your officials’ newsletters, do so now! I’m interested in hearing who has the best strategy and how we can improve communication for all.

'When people asked me for help, if possible, I tried to help them,' Madigan said last week, surprisingly testifying in his own defense.

The good news is the website randomizes the list of options with each visit. The bad news is everything else.

Impactful legislation rarely materializes fully formed. Current debate on both topics echoes an ongoing discussion. Are these ideas now fully baked?

Despite the Senate approval and Gov. JB Pritzker’s endorsement, the issue more or less imploded during the waning hours of this week’s lame duck session.

Follow bills on ilga.gov, and – at least once before Memorial Day – reach out to elected officials, be it email, phone call or response on social media.

'I don’t mean this as insulting, but I don’t trust ComEd to write anything that isn’t in their best interest.'

'The fact that we’re not even, in our current system, paying those relatives the same amount that we pay a stranger to care for a child, it’s pretty frustrating.'

An appreciation for how memories of presidents' brief visits to otherwise anonymous communities can still resonate decades into the future

Altogether, these tidbits send us into the new year with a lesson that turning bills into laws is only one step in a lengthy process. Money is usually required, and simply getting people talking about an issue is no guarantee those conversations will lead to action.

'By implementing these changes, we can deter repeated patterns of abuse and remove the source of these issues as they occur.'

This legislation offers two lessons: One, in macro: When operating inside the bounds of legality runs afoul of basic fairness, it might be time to change the rules. And two, in micro: If you’ve got a problem, pick up the phone and call someone.