Mailee Smith, of the Illinois Policy Institute: “(Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 11) offers unions permanent special treatment that would be nearly impossible to change — by preventing the General Assembly from ever limiting the subjects of collective bargaining or striking in the future — and unions are some of the largest political donors in the state of Illinois.”

Exelon Chief Executive Christopher Crane said that the company remains “hopeful that a state solution will pass in time to save the plants,” but noted “clean energy legislation in Illinois remains caught in negotiations over unrelated policy matters.”

State Rep. Jim Durkin: “Let’s be clear, the corruption we are seeing today goes beyond just ComEd and Madigan, and includes lawmakers bribing other lawmakers, red-light camera operators bribing local elected officials, numerous indicted aldermen, officials at all levels of government cheating on their taxes. The list is endless, and the legislature and Governor continue to do nothing.”

“This is not something that’s left to interest groups to decide. This is a decision that gets made by the legislature and by the governor,” Pritzker said during an unrelated news conference Wednesday. “And here we are.”

Specifically, the ISP is restricting the use and access of personal information that FOID card applicants submit in their online FOID account that could match Illinois resident personal identification information unlawfully obtained from any number of previous cyber breaches.

Biomarker testing, the medical technology used to determine medical risk factors like cancer, will now be covered under Medicaid as well as state-regulated insurance plans.

While he didn’t prohibit sports this week, the governor did implement new regulations when announcing mask mandates for K-12 schools. “Face coverings will be required for all indoor recreation, whereas outdoor, where transmission risks and rates are lower, athletes and coaches will not be required to mask,” Pritzker said.

“For over a year, the Governor cut out a co-equal branch of government and ruled the state with unilateral authority instead of working collaboratively to handle the Covid-19 pandemic in Illinois,” said House Republican Leader Jim Durkin. “Governor Pritzker must put this continuing power trip aside.”

“Of course some of the smaller companies are listening to all kinds of offers,” said former state senator Rickey Hendon, who became a de-facto spokesman for social equity candidates after they were shut out of the initial licensing process a year ago. “I’m listening to all kinds of offers.” Hendon believes a license could fetch between $3 million and $15 million.

This service of IDPH is providing this service to all K-12 public schools across Illinois outside of Chicago, which received its own federal funding. As an alternative to quarantine, students and teachers who have been identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case now have the option of a Test-to-Stay protocol.

Illinois’ estimated claims are among 385,000 total claims filed across the country last week.

Two of the laws make menstrual products available at state colleges and universities and require homeless shelters to stock the products, budget permitting. Another would require the state to apply for a waiver to allow certain federal assistance funds to be used on the products, provided the federal government makes such a waiver available.

The law likewise prevents local officials from inquiring about the immigration status of any individual in police custody unless ICE agents provide a federal criminal warrant.

“The vaccination works. It’s very effective. And we can go back to school safely without putting masks on 4-year olds,” said Kathleen Murphy, president of breakthrough ideas.

Said Illinois Education Association President Kathi Griffin, “We’re so thankful to have leadership in this state that won’t let the virus fester and grow. But, it us up to all of us to bring COVID-19 to its knees.”

The Biden administration has been under pressure to release some non-violent offenders as well as inmates nearing the completion of their sentences to ease crowding during the pandemic. Crundwell was expected to have been required to serve at least 85% of her prison sentence.