Matt Paprocki, of the Illinois Policy Institute: “There is an urgency to fixing the problems that force business owners to make the difficult decision to leave. State leaders need to understand their job is to ensure employers who want to stay and invest in Illinois can do so…So it’s troubling when you hear state lawmakers are again pushing failed policy ideas such as the progressive income tax, which voters clearly said they don’t want in 2020.”

Since last December, the agency has alleged facilities were not testing their water for harmful chemicals like chlorine, copper and lead. Many of them also lacked proper water treatment and sanitation infrastructure, including water softeners. Additionally, activists have called for a state investigation into outbreaks of Legionnella in the water at a dozen prisons across the state.

“There’s been a law on the books that required pretrial services since the ’80s, but nothing was done with it because the Legislature never funded it,” said Champaign County Judge Brett Olmstead. From a staff of just 11 on June 30, 2022, the office has grown 11-fold to a staff of 132, now serving 70 counties.

The constitutional sheriffs movement has percolated across the nation as some sheriffs have vowed to not enforce laws ranging from gun bans to COVID-19 restrictions. But it garnered new strength in Illinois this year with Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signing of the Protect Illinois Communities Act.

Trading spreads on Illinois GO bonds narrowed this week after the state’s latest rating upgrade, and an uptick in tax revenues could help keep the positive ratings momentum going if the state makes more headway on paying off debts and building reserves.

“In the last few weeks, some have suggested that white people don’t really experience violent crime, or that the attention being paid to the issue is a consequence of the spillover of such crimes as carjacking into traditionally more affluent neighborhoods.Black Chicagoans are far more likely to be the victims of crime, which is why so many voted for Vallas or businessman Willie Wilson, who ran far to Vallas’ right on the issue.”

For the first time in 26 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued new guidelines for drinking water safety. Municipal utilities will be required to install expensive filtration systems to lower the amount of PFAS in water supplies. The new EPA drinking water guidelines are expected to cost Illinois municipalities billions of dollars.

A bill before the Illinois Senate would give participants in the state retirement system the opportunity to choose an additional option for their retirement plan coverage. Sen. Dan McConchie (R-Lake Zurich) introduced SB 1516, which would require plans by July 1, 2025 to prepare and implement a defined contribution plan that aggregates state and employee contributions in individual participant accounts that would be used for payouts after retirement. The bill would: