In 2021, the lawmakers passed a bill requiring that Asian American history be taught, making Illinois the first state in the nation to do so. Before that, lawmakers passed requirements for teaching Black history, which followed laws requiring lessons about the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. “There are 134 standards that a kindergarten teacher must teach throughout the year. … Our teachers are coming out of COVID, we are struggling to teach basic math, writing, reading. When is this institution going to give our educators a break?” state Sen. Seth Lewis said.

State Rep. Patrick Windhorst said the proposal is going to put some Illinoisans out of work. “At least 25% of polystyrene in North America is manufactured in Illinois,” Windhorst said. “Polystyrene food ware is also manufactured at a number of manufacturing facilities throughout this state, so there will be an impact on jobs.”

“So we took into consideration the concerns of several members who voiced that concern in terms of again, people who walk into a restroom and might be offended by a urinal so what we are trying to do is to make sure that we are addressing those concerns,” state Sen. Celina Villanueva said. “Urinals are just as good as a toilet.” State Sen. Neil Anderson asked, “Are they going to be offended if I leave the toilet seat up?”

Earlier this year, lawmakers considered a wide array of major environmental proposals that have, so far, not been moved forward. These include a pilot project for off-shore wind on Lake Michigan, a new regulatory framework for carbon sequestration and a measure that would provide relief to utility consumers.

No matter what rhetoric about passing a balanced budget comes out of Springfield, the state budget will automatically be unbalanced because of inadequate pension contributions.

Business representatives are crying foul as 11th-hour legislation to allow unlimited punitive damages in wrongful-death cases is poised to pass the state Senate today and clear the Legislature. The bill, known as HB 219, flew through the House on Tuesday on a party-line vote of 75-40. The Senate Executive Committee cleared it yesterday, also on a strict party-line vote.

Legislators will spend the next 48 hours passing a flurry of bills that could reshape Illinois law. Also, per state law, they must approve the governor’s 2023-24 budget by June 1. Three items for consideration are pension funding, new ride-share rules, and a new bill to water down Illinois’s existing Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).

House Bill 2471 creates the Healthy School Meals for All program to provide state funding to Illinois schools to enable them to offer quality, free school meals to all children who need and want one, no matter their family’s income. It is estimated to cost around $115 million in the first year, and up to $194 million in future years, depending on how many schools and students opt-in.

In a new lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Agriculture, more than a dozen licensed cannabis transporters accuse the state of failing to regulate how marijuana is being moved – despite strict and expensive regulations in place. “I can’t keep paying the licensing fee every year to make zero sales,” said Norberto Brown, who has poured thousands of dollars into his truck, including GPS, cameras mounted inside and a refrigeration system.

Black and brown cannabis license holders said they are struggling to open dispensaries in Illinois and if they cannot open for business by the end of July they will lose their license.

Population decline being concentrated among the most populous areas of the state wasn’t because these areas have more people to begin with. Even when controlling for population levels, Illinois’ largest cities are experiencing rates of population decline more than 50% faster than smaller communities.

Sarah Bonner held a “book tasting” for students in March and offered an array of fiction and nonfiction titles including Juno Dawson’s “This Book Is Gay,” which quickly became the epicenter of a massive controversy when parents called the police over the book choice. It is the ninth-most banned book in America, according to Publishers Weekly.

Jim Dey: “In February, Champaign County Circuit Judge Jason Bohm ordered (Sally K.) Carter to repay $1.8 million in unaccounted grant money to the Illinois Department of Human Resources. The $1.8 million was awarded to Carter in 2016 so she could oversee social-welfare programs aimed at assisting lower-income children and teens…Another issue…raised was Carter’s relatively recent employment as a member of Urbana state Rep. Carol Ammons’ staff.”

Rep. Jay Hoffman said his bill would give heirs the same right as families of an injured person, who can presently seek punitive damages. Suits against government officials, state and local, would still be exempt from damages if the legislation passes.

The bill’s language requires the Department of Transportation to enter into public-private agreements and to establish a prequalification process for vendors to participate in the development, financing, construction, management and operation of the new airport. This process must be offered within the next six months, according to the bill.

By declining to intervene Wednesday morning, the Supreme Court didn’t make any decision about the constitutionality of the Illinois law. Instead, the high court merely allowed Illinois to begin enforcing the law’s provisions. There is plenty of reason to believe the Supreme Court will step in to vindicate both Bruen and the Second Amendment by striking down the Illinois law (or a similar law in a different state) as unconstitutional.