In 2021, Gov. Pritzker established the Office of Equity, led by the Chief Equity Officer, to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion across state government. Dr. Coleman’s work “uses a comprehensive range of mixed-methods approaches to examine contemporary and historical discriminatory practices that impede institutional equity.”

The Illinois Freedom Caucus issued a statement on the gas tax hike and reinstatement of the grocery tax taking effect July 1 which reads, in part, “Illinois needs real tax reform – not election year gimmicks. Illinois families deserve to be more than props in Gov. Pritzker’s re-election passion play. If suspending the grocery tax was a benefit to working families, then why not make it permanent? Why not permanently end the annual CPI gas tax increases?”

The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools says there are more than 5,300 unfilled positions in schools across the state. Illinois lawmakers hope a new law providing $4,000 retention bonuses for two consecutive years if the teacher is National Board Certified and works in a hard-to-staff school can help address the issue.

A new law will allow those convicted of certain felonies to change their name for reasons of sexual identity, religion, and more. The felony still stays on their record.

Gov. JB Pritzker Friday signed House Bill 3882, which will phase out the “Temporary Visitor Driver’s License,” or TVDL, which noncitizens currently use to drive legally in Illinois. “This legislation is a significant step in eliminating the barriers to opportunity that many undocumented immigrants face,” Pritzker said in a statement. “We’re ensuring every eligible individual can obtain a driver’s license, making our roads safer, decreasing stigma, and creating more equitable systems for all.”

The only Illinois metro areas to beat the national rate (3.4%) were the St. Louis and Cape Girardeau areas, which are each primarily located in Missouri rather than Illinois. While Illinois had the 4th-worst unemployment rate in the nation at 4.1% in May, Missouri enjoyed one of the best rates in the nation at 2.5%.

Among them, House Bill 3882 allows undocumented immigrants to obtain a standardized Illinois driver’s license, and House Bill 3304 extends the statute of limitations for the prosecution of any fraudulent activity connected to COVID-19 programs, “to include the Paycheck Protection Program, COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program,

Friday, data was live that reported in Illinois a 48.7% increase in homicides, from 628 in 2021 to 934 in 2022. Also reported, human trafficking was up 233% from nine in 2021 to 30 in 2022. Motor vehicle thefts were up 155.5%, from 12,656 to 32,332. Other crimes up triple digits included gambling, embezzlement, extortion, animal cruelty and counterfeiting.

The law, known as the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), mandates companies that collect or obtain an Illinois resident’s biometric identifier — including fingerprints, faceprints, or iris scans — to alert that individual beforehand and get their consent in writing. Passed by the state legislature in 2008, the law has had an astonishing reach in part because it allows private citizens to individually sue companies for privacy violations.

The move comes in response to a late May attack by a global ransomware gang called CL0P that is thought to have exploited a vulnerability in the state’s MOVEit Transfer file-sharing software. The state estimates data for 390,000 people was affected.

A bipartisan group of Ohio lawmakers is blaming Illinois’ landmark 2021 clean-energy law for jeopardizing reliability in their state and potentially raising costs for their ratepayers. And they’re threatening to take legal action against Illinois in response. The Ohio legislators cited PJM’s estimate that about $2 billion in new high-voltage lines would be needed to transport power between states to make up for the plants that are closing or are required to close.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said, in part, “This decision will only further divide communities and strain existing inequities in higher education, but through those inequities will come opportunities for organizing and excellence in the face of struggle.” Full statements from Gov. JB Pritzker, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, and Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton follow.

It’s a case that is being closely watched throughout the country – and one many believe is almost certain to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. Both sides’ reliance on a weapon’s “common use” was questioned by judges during oral arguments. “It’s very troublesome to have a popularity contest determine a constitutional principle,” Judge Diane Wood said.