The governor plans to increase the agency’s headcount – a move intended to reduce caseloads for overwhelmed investigators. He also asked for COLAs and additional training for all staff.

“’The bleeding has slowed, but we are still bleeding,’ Richard Ciccarone, the Illinois-based president of Merritt Research Services, told The Bond Buyer. Despite revenue increases generated by tax hikes and a strong economy, state spending and increases in pension debt continue to drive a huge problem that legislators are doing their best to ignore.”

Comment: A superb essay by Clarence Page on how to end the identity politics that are ripping Illinois and the nation apart.

This ruling could damage the county’s lawsuit alleging the bank employed discriminatory lending practices.

Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake), said, “Gerrymandering is ruining our democracy – the power of gerrymandering leads to extreme partisan politics. Those in the middle lose their seats; we lose any chance to have any healthy balance. ‘Safe’ seats must end – we need a system that shows voters that their vote matters.”

Comment: Brady is the Illinois Senate Republican leader. See the story linked here, among many others, on his financial interests in the gaming industry on which he legislates. He has no standing to be lecturing on public corruption.

But Illinois stands out as a blue island surrounded by Republican-dominated states, thanks to a Democratic takeover of the former GOP strongholds in DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties.

“Two new analyses underscore how large corruption truly looms over every move in Springfield. And they point toward a path forward.”

“For years, there has been a narrative that our cash bail system and sentencing laws are necessary for public safety, and we support this narrative with billions of dollars each year,” Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said as the hearing began. “But the stories we’ve heard call this narrative into question, and we must ask ourselves whether our current policies and practices are the best way to protect public safety.”

Doherty, who serves as chief of staff to Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski, also worked as a sales agent for a red light camera company that has had a contract to operate cameras in Oak Lawn since 2014, according to the charges.

“Lincoln wasn’t born with these qualities. He was a politician, there’s no doubting that, but he was also a statesman. A politician is one who constantly thinks about the next election. A statesman is one who constantly thinks about the next generation.”

“New York was the only state to see a higher share of residents making more than $200,000 leave in tax year 2018 than left Illinois. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo put it this way: “‘Tax the rich! Tax the rich! Tax the rich!’ We did. Now, God forbid, the rich leave.””

It’s clear from recently released FBI records – though redacted – that the colorful politician acted as an informant beginning in the 1970s, when she was a reporter for a newspaper in the west suburbs.

Illinois and Chicago both get mentions in this discussion of how various states are handing pension shortfalls and healthcare liabilities.

“Yes, headline-grabbing bills can be fun. And I’m all for having fun. But state lawmakers need to get serious. Illinois actually has pressing problems that need to be dealt with.”

The Department of Labor is responsible for enforcing state labor laws and regulation of amusement rides; the Department of Employment Security administers unemployment benefits and runs employment services. Several business groups expressed reservations, saying they preferred the Department of Employment Security remain a separate entity.

[Negative reactions] demonstrate the small-c conservativism of many voters; once people have the right to do something, they are not eager to lose it.”

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) have tapped their campaign funds to cover more legal bills than any other Illinois officials have in the past year

The Illinois Department of Corrections now faces several class action lawsuits and multiple individual cases brought by inmates and former prisoners alleging that inadequate medical care, including delayed treatments, has led to poor and sometimes fatal outcomes. A recent review by a court-appointed expert of 33 death records from 2016 and 2017 found more than half—58 percent—were preventable or possibly preventable.

State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) argued that the machines generate noise at a decibel level that can cause hearing loss in a short amount of time, and send dust, other allergens, animal feces, and trace amounts of heavy metals into the air for considerable distances.

“I’m someone who doesn’t go around believing everyone in government is corrupt. In fact, I think most public officials are honest and try to do the right thing. But every time federal prosecutors pull back the curtain, what I find most striking is the depth of the corruption, how it extends even to the little people in the system.”

Pritzker said he is exploring consolidating a number of state agencies, merging the Department of Labor and the Department of Employment Security into a single unit, combining anti-fraud units at the Workers’ Compensation Commission and the Department of Insurance, and merging the Coroner Training Board with the Department of Public Health.

“Illinois will have to explore more efficient ways to fund road construction and traffic infrastructure.”

A bill filed last week by Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, seeks to make the township consolidation options for McHenry County – which were signed into law last year – statewide.

Even if Illinois regulators finally green light sports wagering, Indiana still will be the only place for Illinois residents to wager on the No. 22 University of Illinois men’s basketball team, since Illinois law prohibits in-state bets on Illinois college and university teams.

House Bill 4888 would create a uniform statewide drug take-back program operated and funded by drug manufacturers. It would require covered manufacturers – those licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – to create programs either independently or jointly with other manufacturers before July 1, 2021.