Activists seek to collect 500,000 signatures for a referendum that would require parental consent for children under the age of 18 to receive certain medical care, such as gender modification or therapy. Tracy Smodilla of the Parents Matter Coalition’ said many people are unaware of legislative changes in recent years that affect parental notification for abortion and other healthcare procedures.

“The consequences of inaction are clear: continued financial strain on citizens, loss of jobs, and businesses either closing their doors or moving to more business-friendly states. Illinois can do better, and it starts with our legislators taking a firm stand against lawsuit abuse.”

If the projections hold, it likely means Gov. JB Pritzker and lawmakers will have to agree to slower spending growth or cuts to existing programs, new revenue streams, or some combination of those options. There’s been no talk at the Capitol of any new or increased taxes, and the governor has all but abandoned his major push for a graduated income tax constitutional amendment that failed before voters in 2020.

Richard Porter, National Committeeman from Illinois: “All of these cases involve novel theories that break new ground – and that also cause tens of millions of Americans to question the good faith of Trump’s opponents generally, the neutrality of courts, and the rule of law itself.”

A law passed last year in Colorado outlaws the extradition of a person for a “legally protected health-care activity,” which is defined as “transgender” procedures and abortions. Another law in Illinois, passed in January 2023, prohibits the extradition of a person from the state who is charged for obtaining or attempting to obtain “lawful health care,” which is defined as abortion or transgender procedures.

Brent Clair, a local farmer said for farmers, the value of the land has gone up due to inflation. He said farmers originally purchased the land at either 5 or 6 thousand dollars an acre, but with inflation the lands value is up to 10 to 15 thousand dollars per acre. “The farmer who bought this land is taxed on the money he used to pay for it. He’s got the property tax that’s used up. And so it’s a tax upon a tax upon a tax,” Clair said.

A new measure would provide a $500 tax credit for abortion providers, abortion seekers, legal guardians of abortion seekers and public school teachers who move to Illinois due to abortion bans and content-based restrictions on educational materials in other states.

Under legislation now being considered during the current session in Springfield, working families making under $70,000 a year and single heads of households making up to $50,000 a year would receive a tax credit of $700 a month per child.

“(H)ere’s the thing about the budget – it’s big and bloated and complicated, but it affects all of us in a few big ways. For one, it affects how much we pay in taxes, which are coming due all-too-soon…And when it costs a lot to operate here, businesses don’t invest and sometimes don’t stay. That means fewer opportunities and less growth in your salary.”

Joshua Bandoch, of the Illinois Policy Institute: “Kids are at the heart of Illinois unions’ domination strategy. After all, in ‘Animal Farm,’ Napoleon the pig (representing Josef Stalin) says, ‘education of the young was more important than anything that could be done for those who were already grown up.'”

House Bill 4691, filed by state Rep. Tim Ozinga, would restart the Invest in Kids Act through 2035. Reviving Invest in Kids would have public support: 63% of Illinoisans supported the program, according to an Illinois Policy Institute poll.

Democratic leaders have frequently attacked Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for busing migrants into sanctuary states and cities. However, the report suggested Democrats are frustrated with one another, particularly between the Illinois and Colorado governors.

As the Illinois General Assembly begins its spring session, among the mountain of legislation being proposed is a bill that aims to tackle two key issues around lobbying — requiring statehouse lobbyists to report the compensation they receive from their clients and giving the secretary of state’s office the power to boot bad actors.