In December, food prices have also climbed 6.3% over the year and .5% from the month before. The price of meats, poultry, fish and eggs soared 12.5% compared to the year prior and fruits and vegetables increased by 5%. Dried beans, peas and lentils shot up 8.1% compared to the same time last year. Illinois farmer Evan Hutline expects rising inflation to stick around for at least another year.

Rich Miller: “The Illinois Senate’s COVID mitigation protocols (testing, masks and limited remote voting) didn’t anticipate a partisan attempt to use a record-breaking virus surge to shut the chamber down, but that’s what almost happened last week.”

Jim Dey: “But the ugly truth is that a majority of legislators — both Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate — really don’t want an IG on hand to look over their shoulders…But the public does have a healthy skepticism about what elected officials are up to when no one is looking. So our selfless public servants feel compelled to protect themselves by creating the illusion of oversight.”

Cullerton is facing 39 counts of embezzlement, one count of conspiracy to embezzle from a labor union and a single count of making a false statement about a health care matter. Cullerton has pleaded not guilty.

HB 3125 is the latest proposal to support the EV industry.

Gov. JB Pritzker said the state was taking action to bolster its health care workforce, such as allowing out-of-state health care providers to continue practicing in Illinois with expanded permissions to care for all patients, not just COVID-19 patients. In addition, doctors trained in other countries have been given permission to provide assistance to licensed physicians in Illinois

The “On the Fence” campaign features 18 separate stories from Illinoisans who at first resisted getting the shot but have since been vaccinated.

The increase in cases of COVID-19 has coincided with a decline in the number of total staffed hospital beds since the governor’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers was announced in August.

One achievement Pritzker can lay claim to is generating new revenues through more taxes and fees. Despite his loss on the progressive tax, Pritzker has still added more than $5.24 billion to the tax bill for Illinoisans through 24 increases during his term.

On Nov. 8, Illinoisians will vote on whether to give unions such as CTU the permanent right to strike over virtually anything. A proposed amendment to the Illinois Constitution would give union bosses powers that even lawmakers couldn’t repeal, and make them the only special interest with that much privilege.

Hilary Gowins, of the Illinois Policy Institute.”Opponents of the program do not think tax dollars should be directed to private schools, but a large segment of the public supports flexibility. A June poll from RealClear Opinion Research showed 74% of registered voters — including 70% of Democrats — support giving parents and kids access to education options.”

“Yet another measure of the Blue State exodus is the U-Haul Growth Index…It’s a measure of that state’s raw emigration rate. This year, no surprise here, the top 5 were all Red States — Texas, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and Arizona…So what does all this mean, exactly? First, it can no longer be denied, particularly by the left, that the Blue State model is no longer attractive to Americans. They’re leaving in droves.”

On the crime issue, the first-year House speaker didn’t divulge details of what would be in the measure but said his party intends to push back against GOP portrayals that Democrats have been soft on crime.

Said House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, “We have the capability to complete committee work remotely for the immediate future and we will continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation. The people’s work will get done, but we must do that work in a safe way that does not overrun our health systems and place more of a burden on our health care employees.”

Illinois is one of 13 states that still require masks on school children. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has had the mandate in place since August.

Under S.B. 2531 signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) on August 27, 2021, Illinois will allow partnerships and S corporations to elect to be taxed as an entity. The election may be made for tax years starting on or after January 1, 2022 and before January 1, 2026. Illinois, in addition to its statutory income tax rate of 4.95 percent, also has a 1.5 percent “personal property replacement tax,” an additional income tax that is imposed on pass-through businesses, originally to offset revenue from the repeal of tangible property taxes. This additional tax remains in place.

In a federal lawsuit filed Monday, parents are asking for an emergency order to keep school districts from going remote.