“This phenomenon is not exclusive to the coasts. Over two dozen counties in Illinois, including four in the southern portion of the state that border ruby-red Kentucky, have taken steps to leave Illinois for redder pastures, including by passing non-binding resolutions that encourage local officials to explore the possibility of leaving the state.”

“That would make folks on both sides of the Mississippi River happier. Southern Illinoisans would go from a Blue state where it’s easy to get an abortion but hard to get a gun, to a Red state where it’s hard to get an abortion but easy to get a gun. St. Louis, on the other hand, is a Blue city trapped in a Red state.”

Previously, under the law, Illinois lawmakers had required vote counters to ensure mail-in ballots were genuinely cast by eligible registered voters by comparing the signatures on the returned ballots against the voter registration card, signed by the actual voter, and kept on file by the local election authority. However, under the changes, county clerks and election officials will now be allowed, or perhaps even directed to compare signatures on mail-in ballots to the signature that had appeared on the application to request a mail-in ballot.

If the bill goes into effect, those who are 21 and under who have been given life sentences after the bill has gone into effect will be able to petition for parole after serving 40 years.

The measure allows Illinois-based gun manufacturers to sell certain weapons and components banned by the legislation, but only to customers in other states, countries and law enforcement. Some worried the measure will impact revenues for their rural hunting communities.

Bailey said the Second Amendment protects ownership of all firearms, even ones that weren’t invented at the time of its drafting.

Durkin said he plans to return to his private law practice in the Chicago area, but he also plans to continue giving speeches and offering his opinions on issues he thinks are important. As for the future of the Illinois Republican Party, Durkin said he sees plenty of young talent within the House GOP caucus, including some who are leaving office.

While supervisory employees have not traditionally had a right to unionize, House Bill 5107 redefines who constitutes a “managerial employee” within CPS to include only those who negotiate with unions or formulate district-wide policies. What does that mean? Principals and other important administrative staff within the district will now be able to join a union.

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John Lausch will be leading the investigation of classified documents found at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Biden Center, nearly two years after President Joe Biden nearly fired him.

While the governor has relaxed many of the mandates over the span of nearly three years, he maintained last summer he keeps the disaster proclamations going to be in line with the federal disaster proclamation as a way to capture more federal funds. Of $4.4 trillion in total obligations from federal COVD-19 tax funds, Illinois has at least $107 billion of that in obligations, according to USASpending.gov. Of all neighboring states, Illinois has more per capita of obligation from COVID-19 federal tax funds.

Senate President Don Harmon, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Gov. JB Pritzker issued a joint statement Monday evening: “After continued negotiations between the leaders, stakeholders and advocates, we have reached a deal on one of the strongest assault weapons bans in the country.”

“Given a choice between money in consumers’ pockets and profits for pawnbrokers, I side with consumers. After all, I work for the people, not the pawnbrokers. Why should low-income families be expected to fund and sustain predatory lenders?”

Big corporations have been fleeing Chicagoland for more business-friendly jurisdictions. But now Allstate says that its big headquarters downsizing is because employees prefer to work from home. How long before these remote workers want to join the flight from expensive Illinois governance?

As more people test for the virus at home and fewer people report cases to authorities, wastewater testing has become a more reliable form of determining community COVID-19 levels. “It gives the general public an idea, and they can decide for themselves,” said senior research scientist Sandra Gesing. “Maybe it’s time to wear a mask again, for example.”

John Bambenek of Abolish Townships Now: “One of the standouts of a unit of government operating unchecked and below the radar, yet driving up the score on property taxes, is township government…You’ve heard of the divine right of kings, but you may have missed the divine right of township officials.”

Jim Dey: “Legislators and law-enforcement officers complained both then and later that they had no chance to read, study or debate the measure. Their charges were met with a knowing chuckle and haughty dismissal. But that warp-speed approach could be — and ought to be, if the Illinois Constitution means anything — a fatal flaw that requires the Illinois Supreme Court to strike down the SAFE-T Act.”