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Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Minutes before the clock hit midnight and the calendar flipped to June 1, the Illinois Senate advanced a much-watched legislative proposal to reform and fund public transportation in the Chicago area and prevent dire cuts to service. But Chicago Democrat Sen. Ram Villivalam’s Hail Mary attempt to avoid cuts was…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers have decided to delay a ban on “swipe fees” for another year as bankers are locked in a court battle with the state over the ban. Lawmakers passed the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act last spring as part of the legislative package that enacted the state budget. It prohibits…

Capitol News Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will have hundreds of bills to review after lawmakers concluded their spring session, including measures protecting press freedoms and baby food, as well as creating a state public defender’s office. Lawmakers voted along party lines Saturday to pass House Bill 3363, which would create the “Office of State Public…

Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO — A bill that would have repealed licensing requirements for hair braiders in Illinois died in the final stretch of the legislative session after opponents voiced concerns about how deregulation could impact health, safety and equity for the profession. The Hair Braiding Opportunity Act, House Bill 3356, would have amended the…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ legislative session concluded without passage of a Native American K-12 school mascot ban, but another issue sought by Natives will make its way to the governor. Despite desire from Native Americans in Illinois, the ban on Native imagery for mascots in K-12 schools stalled in the Senate after it…

Capitol News Illinois The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear an appeal on a lawsuit led by Illinois Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost challenging Illinois’ mail-in voting law. Bost and a pair of Illinois primary delegates for President Donald Trump sued the Illinois State Board of Elections in 2022, arguing that the state’s law…

Capitol News Illinois An 8-year-old boy is the most recent casualty of a car crash at a Chatham daycare April 28. Bradley Lund, 8, has been in a Springfield hospital since the collision at YNOT Outdoors five weeks ago, according to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon. Bradley sustained “multiple blunt force injuries” when a black…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Heading into the end of the legislative session, consumer advocates, renewable energy industry groups and environmental advocates were hopeful about a bill that would have overhauled Illinois’ energy industry. It would have been the largest energy reform in years, touching almost every part of the state’s electricity sector. Some said…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – More than 150 bills moved through the General Assembly in the final week of the legislative session and will make their way to the governor, including measures touching on drug approval, college admissions and foster placement. House Bill 3637 aims to protect medical providers who prescribe drugs that were previously…

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Nearly every year, Illinois lawmakers pass a package of measures dealing with the state’s Medicaid program, the joint federal and state health care program that covers low-income individuals. Known as the Medicaid omnibus bill, it sometimes includes bold components, like a 2021 initiative that made millions of dollars available to…