Scott T. Holland

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.

Almost 300 new laws take effect in Illinois Jan. 1, and as has become custom around here I like to use the last few columns of December to review legislation that might not have gotten proper attention earlier in the year.

Districts have to follow the laws, which means they have to cough up the difference. ISBE estimates lawmakers would need to spend $142.2 million more in the next fiscal year just to fall short by the same percentage as this cycle.

Unlike the DoorDash settlement, which included information about how many drivers stood to divide the settlement pool, the Grubhub deal is short on details.

Expect a history lesson, bring a calculator and a working knowledge of actuarial science.

In addition to the new designs, we’ll be able to choose to keep the current design or adopt the 1918 centennial or 1968 sesquicentennial flags.

We can both look California, where there are so many propositions on each ballot the state has to reset its numbering system every decade. Chaotic by comparison, that system gives our Midwestern sensibilities a sense of practical order.

Prior records, criminal or otherwise, should factor strongly into decisions about whether suspects can abide by release conditions. If judges and prosecutors aren’t so empowered, lawmakers have an invitation to act

'We are mindful that the legislature has considered amending the Vehicle Code, but it might also consider amending the Regulation Act'

Sincere belief in cash bail elimination carries a commitment to ensuring the current law applies equally in all cases.

Over the years I’ve tried to spend a few column inches sharing reader inspirations in hopes of making everyone’s holidays a little brighter.

We’re not to the point of remembering the past, we’re living the first draft of history.

'…the entire landscape of public education has been dramatically altered, presenting new challenges and heightened scrutiny of public schools.'

On a day dedicated to American gratitude it seemed worthwhile to set aside a few moments for appreciation.

Any cost estimates team or government officials might bandy about should be considered somewhere between conservative and antiquated, much like the offensive playbook.

If a company must hire workers in order to stay in business, it should pay those people the minimum wage. That seems like basic fairness.

Altogether it’s clear more than half of participating Illinoisans are voting outside conventional Election Day precinct polling places.

Judges didn’t legislate from the bench, per a common criticism, but observed repercussions and asked the General Assembly to revisit the drawing board.

About 6% of adults owe more than $1,000 and about 3 million people have medical debt exceeding $10,000.