Recent concerns about some public pension plans in Illinois falling out of compliance with Safe Harbor have prompted the introduction of several legislative proposals, some of which would enhance benefits beyond the changes necessary to directly address Safe Harbor compliance.

“What remains in Peoria County is the issue of whether (former auditor Jessica Thomas) must return the salary she’s earned since Dec. 1, which the county might pursue to partially offset the significant expense of fighting the legal battle. But for the rest of the state the case stands as an example of the potential difficulties of even well-intentioned government streamlining efforts, the importance of ballot language and, ultimately voter participation.”

House Bill 2473 lifts the ban on next-generation nuclear reactors less than 300 MW beginning January 1, 2026. Additionally, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Office of Homeland Security will be directed to establish rules for reactor decommissioning, environmental monitoring, and emergency preparedness.

Senate Bill 1769 would require state government entities to purchase or alter their vehicles into zero-emission vehicles by 2030. The measure excludes police and fire vehicles.

Illinois has been criticized by several nonpartisan organizations on its budgeting, including Truth in Accounting. The think tank that promotes fiscal transparency gave Illinois a failing grade of “F” for its financial situation.

State and local officials worked to develop a package of tax and cash incentives in an effort save jobs and revive the auto plant. Led by Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara, Belvidere Mayor Clint Morris and the Northern Illinois Council of Governments, they obtained commitments for property tax abatements. Gov. JB Pritzker’s office would not say how it will pay for the $17 million in land acquisition that would be required for the Stellantis expansion.

A measure that would allow legislative staff to unionize, meanwhile, appears to have stalled in the Senate after clearing the House with broad Democratic support during the first week of veto session last month.

In 2022, Illinois’ child welfare agency saw 171 kids die while on the department’s radar or within 12 months after the department made contact with them. “We need more resources,” Inspector General Ann McIntyre said. “The state departments need more placements for our children. Right now, we just do not have enough.”

The scorecard evaluates a wide range of metrics and state policies related to regulations, investments, and state processes in vehicle electrification and state planning. Illinois is not yet a leader in fair transportation systems, even in the Midwest – scoring behind Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Proposed as a way to combat climate change by capturing planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions at Midwestern ethanol plants, transporting the CO2 via pipeline, and burying it deep underground in central Illinois, the Navigator project was positioned to receive as much as $1.3 billion a year in federal tax credits. The company is still pursuing its $350 million carbon storage project in central Illinois, where it has acquired rights to store carbon deep below tens of thousands of

Gov. JB Pritzker has been considered as an emergency candidate for president if Joe Biden did not run, citing multiple out-of-state trips for Democratic causes. However, he has fully committed to supporting Biden, and is a national advisor for the Biden campaign.

The audit found that Illinois failed to follow federal recommendations in May 2020 to prevent some of the fraud. “Then we get the, ‘Oh, this happened everywhere else in all the other states’ from the administration,” state Sen. Chapin Rose said. “No, other states implemented federal protocols to close the door and try to attempt to limit the fraud.”

Poor conditions in juvenile lockups across the country have recently made headlines, bringing renewed calls for reform. What makes Illinois different from many of its state peers is that no independent agency licenses or certifies the youth detention centers. It’s the latest example of the failures of Illinois officials to put an end to the poor treatment of vulnerable populations held in facilities, even when problems are well documented.