Senate
Recent News About Senate
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Senate rejects former corrections officer-nominee to PRB; Confirmation vote comes three years into Pritzker term
SPRINGFIELD – Governor JB Pritzker, content for three years to let Prisoner Review Board members serve without Senate confirmation, suddenly declared confirmation “vitally important” on March 15. -
Governor Pritzker Launches Initiative to Improve Behavioral Health Services for Children
Governor Pritzker Launches Initiative to Improve Behavioral Health Services for Children. -
Pritzker heeds pressure from the right, now urges Senate to take up Prisoner Review Board appointees
SPRINGFIELD – Governor JB Pritzker, content for three years to let Prisoner Review Board members serve without Senate confirmation, suddenly declared confirmation “vitally important” on March 15. -
After 2 years, it's time to limit Pritzker's emergency powers
March 12 marks two years of life under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s emergency powers. It is time lawmakers had a say in how long those powers last. -
'How much do we hate jobs in this state?' The fight over Illinois' unemployment insurance debt will hit job creators
There’s a battle brewing in the Illinois Senate over how much of the state’s remaining $3.5 billion in federal COVID aid should be used to repay the state’s $4.5 billion in unemployment debts. Illinois’ Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, normally financed by taxes on state businesses, was wiped out after hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans filed unemployment claims as a result of the pandemic lockdowns. The federal government loaned Illinois the $4.5 billion so the state could issue unemployment checks. -
Gov. Pritzker Announces Twenty-Two Appointments to Boards and Commissions, Public Administrators and Public Guardians
Gov. Pritzker Announces Twenty-Two Appointments to Boards and Commissions, Public Administrators and Public Guardians. -
Sangamon County State's Attorney, Alton native appointed to Illinois Forensic Science Commission
Sangamon County State’s Attorney and Alton native Dan Wright has been appointed to the newly-formed Illinois Forensic Science Commission. -
Erica Harriss to run for Illinois Senate District 56 against Rachelle Crowe; 'It's time that an alternative voice represents Illinois'
Madison County Board member Erica Harriss is running on the Republican ticket for Illinois Senate in the 56th District, saying it’s time to lower taxes and offer “practical solutions” to the problems that plague Illinois. -
Lawmaker wants to block Pritzker from paying staff with private dollars
(The Center Square) – Saying private dollars shouldn't be used to pay public employees, an Illinois lawmaker has introduced legislation that would prevent Gov. J.B. Pritzker from paying state employees out of his pocket on top of the salaries taxpayers already pay for. -
Illinois state senators defy law to pick their watchdog
Illinois state senators approved a new legislative inspector general over complaints by the Legislative Ethics Commission chair that the process and vetting were ignored for the new watchdog. House members vote next. -
Attorney for judges in subcircuit suit: ‘Naked political interference by legislature’
Edwardsville attorney James Craney has entered his appearance on behalf of Madison County Circuit Judges Sholar and Threlkeld in a lawsuit pitting the voters of Madison County against various state bodies. -
Bost Introduces Bill to Get Toxic-exposed Veterans Lifesaving Care
Bost Introduces Bill to Get Toxic-exposed Veterans Lifesaving Care. -
School mask mandate suspended following vote of state's rulemaking body
The Joint Committee of Administrative Rules (JCAR) voted today to stop Gov. JB Pritzker's attempt to reissue emergency rules that would have required school districts to enforce masking for K-12 public and private schools. -
Davis Re-introduces Bill to Make Trump Tax Cuts Permanent
Davis Re-introduces Bill to Make Trump Tax Cuts Permanent. -
Fourth District profile: Red bench is forum for disputes involving the entire state
SPRINGFIELD – Statewide issues like virus mandates and judicial gerrymandering land on the bench of the Fourth District appellate court where voters haven’t picked a Democrat in 24 years. -
Welch and Harmon seek to intervene in Madison County’s subcircuit challenge; Aided by top Dem Party attorney
SPRINGFIELD – Michael Kasper of Chicago, who rescued three St. Clair County judges from likely denial of retention in 2016, represents legislators defending a law that tilted the scales of justice in Madison County toward Democrats. -
State appeals mask TRO; Parents not happy; Other blue states are ending school mask mandates
Reaction to a judge's temporary restraining order on school mask mandates and how some school districts have interpreted the decision have been loud and severe, ranging from a spontaneous parent "honkening" protest in Edwardsville to Gov. JB Pritzker saying the ruling “cultivates chaos." -
Why do so many legislators oppose transparency?
State Rep. Charlie Meier is an agitator and a troublemaker. And we need more of his kind in Springfield. -
The state of the state: Illinois leaders partly responsible for a sluggish recovery
Illinois’ economy was shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic, but 2021 was supposed to be a year of recovery. -
Meier files legislation to bring more transparency to controversial bills moving in the legislature
State Representative Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) has filed legislation to bring more transparency to the legislative process to fix what is known in Springfield as the "shell game."