“It was very clear to me that there had been a decision made by the speaker that I was not going to move up in the ranks, and the reputation I had built over 32 years was not going to avail me to much progress in my career,” former State Rep. Lou Lang said during government questioning.

The state reported more than $400 million in wages and 15,000 non-extra hires in 2022. Gov. JB Pritzker’s tax credit extension lasts through the year 2033, giving plenty of room for growth across the state.

“Madigan’s crew put the arm on plenty of special interests…He was running a small army, and his soldiers required sustenance. ComEd stood out partly because it often needed things, and because of its patronage history and because it had so many jobs and so much money for contracts. It was the old Willie Sutton story. When the notorious criminal was asked why he robbed banks, he reportedly said, ‘Because that’s where the money is.'”

The Secretary of State’s office says the digital driver’s license won’t be a screenshot or digital copy, but that “mobile (driver’s licenses) are secure because they are encrypted and rely on state-of-the-art technology to protect the owner from fraud and identity theft.”

Recreational marijuana is not legal in Wisconsin, but it is in each of its surrounding states. Said Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, “We do not need to become like Illinois or Michigan where anywhere you go, there’s the stench of marijuana.”

“There are rare cases where this is necessary, ” state Rep. Charlie Meier said. “There will be cats that will be thrown outside because their owners also have medical issues.”

From 2011-2021, Illinois public schools lost nearly 180,000 students but gained 4,500 teachers. Illinois public schools currently have more than 5,300 unfilled positions, but nearly half of those vacancies are for paraprofessionals, not traditional teachers.

The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz said the intent of the bill is not to limit constitutionally protected speech. “We feel it’s important that while we may not remove or necessarily adopt all the suggestions from the ACLU, that we have come as far as we can. We feel as policymakers sometimes we need to make those calls to ensure we address the harms we are seeking to address.”

State Rep. Adam Niemerg this week asked Kristen Richards, the former head of the Department of Employment Security who now leads another agency, how much money was stolen, to which she did not have an answer. “The United State’s Department of Labor, as last I left the agency in mid-January, is still working to quantify the number of fraud that was associated with the federal programs,” Richards said.

Nuclear power has been divisive among those pushing to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector. For some it’s a reliable carbon-free alternative to coal and natural gas. For others it’s a dangerous diversion of money away from renewable resources.

“We should not allow inadequate examination of a potentially damaging, dangerous technology and unverified promises from an industry incapable of meeting budgets or deadlines be the final word on Illinois’ energy future. Those who worked hard for CEJA’s passage in 2021 should be most alarmed that these moratorium repeal bills are Trojan horses for SMNRs designed to sabotage the renewables goals of CEJA.”

For Sandy and Dave Schoenborn, a couple who own the Lincoln Theatre in Belleville, the state mandate is a major concern. “I’m pretty worried,” Sandy Schoeborn said. “Unless business gets better, it’s gonna be a strain.”

Jim Dey: “But the revenue-growth good news has caused fiscally irresponsible legislators’ mouths to drool in anticipation of another spending spree, which prompted state Comptroller Susana Mendoza to warn that ‘estimates do not equal actual dollars’ and ‘we can’t spend money we don’t have.’ Mendoza advocated restraint in a world where too many people choose to act in haste and repent in leisure.”

All 14 metro areas of Illinois had lower unemployment rates in January, compared to a year ago. Statewide, Illinois’ unemployment rate fell to 4.7% in January, down from 5.4% the same time a year ago.

“There are few activities politicians love more than handing out benefits that others must pay for.”

The legislation — HB 3098 — would nominally limit these companies’ ability to require use of their own payment processing systems. What it would actually do is inhibit Apple, Google and other software store providers from honoring commitments to customers and safeguarding digital financial transactions. It is based on flawed assumptions and would have consequences for the state’s economy.