House Bill 5013 would require managed care organizations to pay for prenatal and perinatal healthcare, no matter if it’s from a contracted provider or not. The bill passed the House early in March. It’s been sitting in the Senate Executive Committee for about a week as of Tuesday.

In Chicago, drivers pay nine different taxes on gas. In addition, Illinois consistently ranks toward the bottom for its high cost of doing business. Illinois’ public policy decisions result in relatively higher prices for consumers and higher input costs for businesses, worsening the squeeze on Illinois families and businesses. Most important, during times of economic uncertainty, state and local policy should be able to respond quickly to changing economic conditions. In Illinois, this is nearly impossible, but the astronomical increase in pension costs that constrains state and local budgets.

Proteins like meat, fish, poultry and eggs are up nearly 14 percent in Illinois. Fruits and vegetables are up 15.5 percent, while cereals and bakery items are up more than 2 percent. Dairy and related products cost about 3.7 percent more.

“No cost of college life has increased faster than textbooks,” said Committee Chair Scott Bennett. “It’s vital that we set students up for success, and that includes making sure course materials are affordable.”

“The longer it goes without getting a number when all these other states are presenting their best guesses sure is odd,” state Sen. Jason Plummer said. “So is there an idea of when we might have a number?” Illinois Department of Employment Security Director Kristin Richards wouldn’t speculate on when a number would be revealed, saying they’re working on it.

Smaller subsets of the population who identify as Asian, native, or multi-racial also experienced strong employment growth from December 2019-December 2021, adding more than 65,184 jobs (+13.3%). However, growth among just one or two communities isn’t enough to improve outcomes across the Illinois labor market.

State Sen. Steve McClure took PRB member Oreal James to task for his votes to grant leniency nearly 45% of the time since he’s been on the board. “Under horrific crimes you are consistently voting to release these folks, against the wishes of the judges, against the wishes of the state’s attorney and against the wishes of the victim,” McClure said. “Even in cases where they are showing no rehabilitation.”

The plan will include efforts from the Illinois Department of Human Services to provide resources such as kits with naloxone, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. Also included in the plan is a mobile service that will provide medication-assisted services to those that need them.

“Despite all of those still-fresh superlatives of shock and outrage, the chances of Democrats pushing through a new round of post-Madigan indictment ethics reforms appear bleak at the moment, with barely three weeks left before the scheduled end of the Legislature’s spring calendar.”

The American Legislative Exchange Council’s 2021 list ranked governors based on three broad categories: Executive policies, economic performance and fiscal policy. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker came in at No. 47.

Jim Dey: “Under the rules, the governor can make nominations and then withdraw them. Every time he makes a nomination, it starts a 60-session-day clock for Senate confirmation. That’s 60 legislative ‘session days,’ not 60 days. That means the clock must follow the session calendar, of legislature, which often goes months at a time without meeting. That flexibility allows Pritzker, like governors before him, to make appointments, withdraw appointments and then re-appoint the same individuals whose appointments he withdrew.”

Opponents warned failure to address potential abuses in the lawsuit funding business will ultimately lead to higher costs for all in Illinois, fueled by an ever-growing “tort tax” of thousands of additional dollars paid by American households every year to cover the costs of so-called “abusive litigation” tacked onto all goods and services.