With continued analysis of the data, Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski said there must be a reevaluation of mask mandates in schools and vaccine requirements on the public to eat indoors in Chicago. “Something like a vaccine, it should be done under the principle of informed consent. People should know exactly what they’re getting, why they’re getting it, what the data is, and in Illinois, Gov. [J.B.] Pritzker is not helping us. IDPH is not helping us. They’re giving us partial data.”

Villa Park State Rep. Deb Conroy wants to “isolate or quarantine persons who are unable or unwilling to receive vaccines, medications, or other treatments.” If HB 4640 were to become law, persons exposed to an infectious disease could be placed under Public Health Department observation, only possible in a contained atmosphere with Department watch guards.

“It’s hard for us to give up our old ways, our status quo, even when we know it is failing us,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. “It’s still hard for us to pivot and embrace that new mindset. We are on the right path. We are moving forward in the right way. We’ve got the right leader in the Chicago Police Department to keep pushing these initiatives forward but we can’t just wallow in the critics and the criticism because we are doing great things in our city.”

Advocates and Illinois state lawmakers are making a push to end a gas utility surcharge that allows companies to raise customer heating bills in order to pay for infrastructure projects. The surcharge, known as the Qualified Infrastructure Plant (QIP), became law in 2013 after similar legislation was passed for utility giant Commonwealth Edison.

“I’m not confident a lot is going to get accomplished, and that’s OK this year,” National Federation of Independent Business Illinois State Director Chris Davis said. “The less impact we can have on small businesses is fine this year.”

“I’d like to take the high road and say he heard the taxpayers of Illinois loud and clear and it is time to give some relief,” state Sen. Terri Bryant said. “Hopefully, if we’re able to get some of this relief temporarily, then maybe they’ll take a play out of the Republicans’ playbook and make it permanent.”

“What we are counseling states is that they need to still be mindful of the long-term picture,” said senior officer for state fiscal health at The Pew Charitable Trusts Josh Goodman. One suggestion was to refill the state’s rainy-day fund, which had just $60,000 in it at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – enough to cover state operating expenses for 30 seconds.

The four members of the Illinois Commerce Commission who voted to approve the utility company’s third rate hike in four years shrugged off concerns about “extraordinary spending” raised by the Attorney General’s office. In state records filed with the ICC, the Attorney General’s office said Nicor “failed to explain” why the company “regularly and substantially [exceeded] its budget” with $50.6 million in “cost over-runs” on costly projects “at ratepayer expense.”

School funding, early childhood education, and teacher training are expected to be key education issues during the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session.

“The solution is pushing that ramp out and the unions should be in line over at the statehouse,” said Mayor Jim Langfelder. “They lobby for other things, they should be lobbying to push that ramp out to 2050 and that would help resolve a lot of the stress we have towards making that full funding by the potential date.”

The “Illinois Family Relief Plan,” as it is being called, would suspend the 1 percent grocery tax for one year, suspend the automatic inflation-adjusted increase in the motor fuel tax and provide a 5 percent property tax rebate to qualifying property owners.

For fiscal 2022, Illinois has forecast a surplus bigger than an earlier estimate, citing cutting costs, the use of part of its more than $8 billion in ARPA money, and higher revenue from sales and income taxes.

Matteson offered generous property tax incentives to land a marijuana facility with 300 jobs, just as the state’s fledgling cannabis industry is preparing for an explosion of new companies entering the market.

“The governor believes it’s important to focus on the cost of groceries, the cost of gas and the property tax burden and bring relief to families across the state,” Deputy Gov. Andy Manar, one of Pritzker’s top budget aides, said. He said the governor will present a balanced proposal Wednesday to lawmakers.