State Rep. Maurice West, co-chair of Illinois’ ranked-choice and voting systems task force, explained, “The ranked-choice voting that we are trying to implement here in the state of Illinois is focused on presidential primaries. We are working together with people on both sides of the aisle, we are collecting all the facts to see what the appetite is here in the state.”

Insurance committee member and state Rep. Jeff Keicher, who is also a State Farm Insurance agent, said Illinois has the 18th lowest rates in the country. “We have an open and competitive marketplace so if an insurer is charging too much, insurers are free and able to very easily to secure another carrier, oftentimes at a lower price,” he said.

Rivian spokesperson Marina Hoffman said the company has a “clear line of sight to profitability,” citing efforts to cut costs and increase efficiency at its Illinois production plant. The company has reduced the number of shifts to build the same number of vehicles and is re-negotiating supplier contracts.

SB3170 would require state agencies to submit a report to the General Assembly detailing their spending on or before Nov. 15, 2024. “We don’t know where the money is coming from, what departments, and we’ve asked (Illinois Department of Public Health), (Illinois Emergency Management Agency), all these departments to give us what they’ve spent on projects and we are met with silence,” state Sen. Sally Turner said.

House Bill 5465, which would make it easier for child victims to have their juvenile records expunged or sealed for criminal acts they were forced to commit while they were a victim of trafficking. House Bill 5469, which would allow for victims to get an order of protection from their traffickers.

Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois, which represents licensed firearms dealers throughout the state, has reported their members have seen sales decrease up to 25 percent. In one instance, a gun store said its sales dropped by more than 60 percent.

Former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has since decried the pause to the annual inflation adjustment for the exemption, arguing it robs Illinois families of necessary tax relief at a time of high inflation. “Some rob you with a six-gun, and some rob you by a fountain pen,” Quinn said. “We got robbed by a fountain pen.”

Through Senate Bill 2705, the sale and distribution of products such as carpets, cookware, food packaging and more containing intentionally added PFAS would no longer be allowed starting next year. By 2032, all products with PFAS, unless it is proven it cannot be made without it, would be banned.

The COVID-19 pandemic was what initiated courtrooms across the nation to start using virtual appearances, and now the state of Illinois has adopted this pandemic trend to make it more convenient for all parties to make it to their court date.

Members of the Illinois Senate advanced a measure that would prohibit Illinois companies from requiring employees to attend work-related meetings about politics or religion. Opponents of the bill, like National Federation of Independent Business Illinois State Director Noah Finley, said the legislation would prevent employees from getting new points of view from their employer – like which legislation their union dues could support.

“It’s not the marches and the protests and the rioting. It is the taking away of your authority, that taking away of the job function,” retired Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel said. He pointed to California, Washington, D.C., and Cook County as areas where local policing policies have been gutted and crime subsequently increased. He cited policy changes such as Illinois’ SAFE-T Act, which ended cash bail in the state among other changes, and San Francisco recently limiting who is pulled over for traffic infractions.

Jim Dey: “One way to generate higher revenue would be to increase the number of people working. Illinois’ current unemployment rate is, as of December, 4.8 percent. It’s tied with New Jersey for the fourth highest in the nation. The national unemployment rate is 3.7 percent, an extremely low number on a historical basis. On that same basis, Illinois’ 4.8 percent rate also is considered relatively low. Still, the numbers show that Illinois is failing its citizens in terms of helping to create job opportunities.”

“Illinois’ voting rolls are a mess. Dirty voter rolls can mean dirty elections,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. The lawsuit points out several failures within Illinois reports and a lack of reports. These show several counties removed very few voter registrations or none at all, and 34 counties have failed to report any changes in data. Several other violations of the National Voter Registration Act were listed.