Adding to the issues across the state, Ted Dabrowski, the President of Wirepoints, shared the concerns he has with the state’s education system. “I think we need to make education a place of excellency again. We don’t need to be lowering standards for teachers or for students. We need to be raising standards. I think we’ve gotten so far away from standards that now the system doesn’t make sense.”

The IDES said that in January, the unemployment rate fell by one-tenth of a percentage point, dropping down to 4.5%. Nonfarm payroll jobs, meanwhile, increased by over 14,000.

Currently, a conviction of sexual misconduct, prostitution, rape, or any other offense requiring registration as a sex offender automatically bars an applicant from obtaining a massage therapist license. But this is not the case for first-degree murder, armed robbery, aggravated battery, aggravated vehicular hijacking, arson, assault, stalking, theft, and kidnapping.

The Republicans also proposed two House Resolutions they said are ways for the state to reflect on “the importance of cleaning out corruption.” One would prohibit the placement of “a Speaker Madigan portrait” in the House chambers.

Illinois lawmakers have filed about 6,500 pieces of proposed legislation during the 103rd General Assembly. There are more than 100 committees and subcommittees in the House alone, including appropriations, higher education, human services and labor and commerce.

The legislation is similar to older laws that protected child actors, according to state Sen. Linda Holmes. “I think we see the necessity for this because the rise of social media just creates opportunity for people, including minors, to make money online. This is something we did not see years ago.”

Under House Bill 2789, libraries in Illinois would be required to either issue a statement attesting to their anti-banning position on controversial materials and books or show that they follow the American Library Association Bill of Rights that stipulate “materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval” in order to be eligible for state grants. The bill would make Illinois the first state in the country to take such a defined position.

A proposal at the Illinois Statehouse would legalize and regulate “natural organic reduction,” a process in which human remains are rapidly decomposed into compost over the course of several weeks. Companies that offer this service place a person’s remains in a vessel with wood chips, straw and other organic material and heat it to accelerate the growth of microbes that break down the body.

In Illinois and around the country, groups of conservative candidates are banding together in an attempt to get elected to their local school boards. In several Chicago suburbs, slates of candidates have been telling a similar narrative about their districts: wasteful spending, plus lower test scores caused by distracting ideological lessons on sex, gender, mental health and diversity.

While state-based social equity programs like this one are designed to help people whose communities were affected by the war on drugs get started in a new and lucrative business, Illinois is the only state that explicitly gives preference to people directly affected by gun violence. Critics say such programs have not met their goal of diversifying the cannabis industry.

State Sen. Julie Morrison told the Senate Executive Committee Wednesday that the recent surge in use of e-cigarettes and vapes has threatened the state’s progress, as Illinois leaders celebrated the 15-year anniversary of Smoke Free Illinois laws last month.

“Is the state actively enforcing this law? If they are actively enforcing this law— why are they enforcing a law that courts have deemed unconstitutional?” Rep. Patrick Windhorst asked.

Illinois is one of only three states in the country to ban fireworks, with New Hampshire and Vermont being the other two. There is an effort to legalize fireworks in Illinois every year, with some saying the state is missing out on millions of dollars in sales tax revenue that is being made by surrounding states.

“Statesmanship, at its essence, is the determination of leaders to look to the long term and a disposition to take difficult and politically unpopular actions to advance the public good. Illinois’ state budget cries out for statesmanship.”

The Commission on Government Forecasting Accountability increased its revenue estimate for the current fiscal year by $575 million – yet another positive development in a monthslong streak of revenue growth. A spokesman said the expected growth was driven by strong performances in the state’s base tax revenue sources – corporate and personal income tax and sales tax driven higher by inflation.

Prior to securing his spot in the Chicago mayoral run-off, the campaign for Paul Vallas became a victim of a growing digital deception known as a “deepfake.” Senate Bill 1392 and House Bill 2123 would allow the campaign and other victims of digital forgeries to seek legal action against perpetrators who create and share inauthentic media.

The measure, SB 1782, addresses the rise in so-called “kidfluencer” content found on online platforms.“Traditional child actors have been protected for a number of years by child labor laws,” state Sen. Linda Holmes said. “However, there’s nothing on the books to protect these child influencers. Parents should not be able to profit from the work of their children.”

“In Illinois, we have successfully tackled large energy issues in the past by letting our values guide our policy and focusing on what’s best for all our people. It’s time to do it again on natural gas.”