State senators Dave Syverson and Donald DeWitte: “…(T)he nonpartisan Commission on Government Forecasting & Accountability (COGFA) has projected state revenues are already $4.6 billion higher than originally projected this fiscal year. The state simply doesn’t need this extra gas sales tax revenue. Keeping it would be an act of unconscionable greed by Pritzker and the Democrat-controlled Legislature.

A proposal from Rep. Lindsey LaPointe would require divestment “from Russian stocks and sovereign debt,” along with those of Russian ally Belarus. It names the Teachers’ Retirement System and Illinois State Board of Investment and urges public systems not controlled by the state, such as the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, to do the same.

Officials say expressway shootings are on the decline so far this year with 33, which is 17 shootings less than this time in 2021.

“For now, things in Illinois are improving, but if conditions here change, I will address the people of Illinois with needed actions,” he said.

Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced the Secure Choice Savings Program now has over 100,000 participants. Frerichs said nearly a quarter of Illinois retirees use Social Security for 90% of their retirement dollars.

There’s going to be a balancing act for those leftover federal funds as groups ranging from the hospitality sector to home care workers are looking for more tax dollars. “We have to look at all of these,” House Majority Leader Greg Harris said. “We’re gonna have to weigh these things, and we’re gonna have to make some difficult choices on all these fronts.”

“The U.S. unemployment rate is now at 3.9%, which is very close to the pre-pandemic normal of 3.5%, ” analyst Jill Gonzalez said. “These numbers give the federal reserve room to start withdrawing the economic support that was put in place at the start of COVID-19’s onslaught.” The unemployment rate for Illinois in January was a 5%,

They said that Illinois families are struggling after the end of pandemic aid, as well as with record inflation. They want the state to expand its earned income tax credit and to create a statewide child tax credit.

As the new ideology has been institutionalized, the costs of disobeying it have grown steeper, both for faculty and for students. ​​At the University of Illinois Chicago, for example, a law professor’s classes were cancelled and his career threatened for including a bleeped out “‘n____’” on an exam in a hypothetical scenario about employ

School leaders said “Access 2030” is being created to increase the number of graduates from underrepresented groups by 50% by the end of the decade. This will include students from disadvantaged backgrounds — ethnic and racial, rural and urban.

“The world seems smaller, doesn’t it? The world just seems smaller and more connected because of COVID. So what’s happening elsewhere could possibly affect us right here,” Pritzker said. “For now, though, things in Illinois are improving.”

Said Dorothy Abreu, “We are a significant economic driver to our region and our state.” And, it’s important to bring “moral integrity” to the table. “Knowing that what we need to do — we need to do the right way, in the right manner, and with transparency.”

The department cites the state’s new Criminal Justice Reform Bill as one of the many reasons they are disbanded.

The fine will cost Blue Cross $1,000 per day for every day it is out of compliance with the law. It is the first of its kind ever issued since the state adopted the new baseline requirements for network adequacy in 2017.