Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office, along with attorneys for the city of Naperville, filed motions before U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, asking her to decline the petition for an order blocking the state from enforcing the constitutionally questionable gun ban while constitutional challenges play out in lower courts over the coming months and perhaps even years.

“After expanding taxpayer-funded abortions and recklessly ending parental notification, the General Assembly recently removed medical safeguards and legal accountability for abortion clinics and providers — making abortion less safe…Pro-choice and pro-life Illinoisans, while deeply disagreeing, can work together to oppose the pro-abortion minority who have hijacked the debate, made abortion riskier and now are actively working against what Illinois residents overwhelmingly say they want — real choices for pregnant women.”

“There is a possibility that he [Madigan] may want to delay, delay, delay, the lawyers may want to delay the trial, and all during that time, he is still receiving a lucrative pension,” state Rep. Amy Elik said. “So this bill would just say, once you’re indicted or charged with information, your pension payments get suspended. If you’re found not guilty, or the case doesn’t proceed, you’ll get your pension payments back with interest.”

Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year is nearly $50 billion, an 11% increase over last year and an all-time high. State Rep. Joe Sosnowski said, “We just can’t prioritize nonresidents of Illinois when you’ve got so many costs for our current residents in infrastructure, schools, ect. that have pressing needs.”

Illinois State Rifle Association Executive Director Richard Pearson said the ISP statement is yet another issue that the courts will have to address. “I think that they are showing that the state wants to put the bootheels of power on all the necks of the gun owners in this state and I don’t think they’re going to stand for it.”

The new law, which covers physicians, surgeons, nurses and social workers, comes at a time when hospitals across the state are facing staffing and recruiting hardships.

“While we welcome business opportunities from the EV boom, we also know the Midwest has a lot to lose as the game changes. Legacy automakers and their suppliers provide some of the best blue-collar jobs around and make high-impact contributions to local economies…Illinois, unfortunately, is at risk of falling behind. Part of the reason is the state’s high costs — especially its taxes and workers’ compensation insurance — as well as a government that favors unions over employers seemingly at every turn. That creates a business climate so inhospitable that even state-incentive giveaways can’t seem to overcome it.”

Illinois drivers are now paying an average price of $3.95 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline compared to $4.04 last Monday, according to a Monday gas report by AAA. The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline dropped to $3.57, a six-cent decrease from the previous week.

A nationwide skimming spree of SNAP benefits spiked last year, and the federal government is reimbursing people whose benefits were stolen since October. Some states are filling in the gap further, refunding victims whose benefits were stolen from January to September 2022. But in Illinois, advocates that include Legal Council for Health Justice and the Shriver Center on Poverty Law in Chicago say Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration has not agreed to replace stolen funds.

Opponents worry the sites encourage drug use and that they will lead to the deterioration of surrounding neighborhoods. “I really think a lot of people in the communities are going to see an increase in crime and drug sales,” said state Rep. Terra Costa-Howard.

Mike Madigan, who resigned after losing the House speakership in January 2021, has been charged with 23 counts of racketeering, bribery, and official misconduct alongside McClain in a separate case that could go to trial in April 2024. Madigan has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.

Text of letter linked here. “[I]n recent years, our nation has experienced a significant increase in migration to our southern border. Many migrants are ready, capable, and willing to meet our nation’s workforce needs. Recent analysis demonstrates that a rebound in immigration in the last year has helped ease labor supply pressures.”

According to state data, more than 1,800 of the roughly 2,100 public schools that submitted test results identified some amount of lead in their drinking water. The law did not require districts to take action to reduce elevated lead levels, and state funding was not available to aid schools that wanted to do so. As a result, district responses to finding lead varied greatly,

Drug manufacturers that do price gouge could be ordered to restore amounts accrued through the increase to customers or pay up to a $10,000 fine per day it’s found in violation. The bill’s language defines price gouging as when an increase on a medication’s 30-day supply cost exceeds $20.