The legislation comes after a funeral home in central Illinois last year was found to have given dozens of families the wrong remains. The owner of Heinz Funeral Home in Carlinville had his license revoked by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation after the discovery for “professional incompetence,” among other things.

House Bill 4118 says no electric or gas utility shall disconnect service for nonpayment of a bill as long as the customer can show that they are applying for financial assistance.

State Sen. State Sen. Dave Syverson pointed out other states aren’t seeing this large of an increase, and pointed out the financial consequences of growing the government. In the past two years, the state employees’ group insurance program has grown by 6,000 individuals and dependents.

“No amount of handouts or government assistance, no matter how well intentioned, can substitute for the intangible benefits and dignity that work brings to individuals and their families,” said U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, the chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Work and Welfare.

“It’s basically shifting the blame,” DeWitte said. “There’s zero benefit to taxpayers when the governor eliminates the grocery tax and then asks municipal governments to reapply it on the other side of the equation.”

A new proposal promises to cut by months the lead time on construction of residential and commercial properties in Illinois by letting local architects and engineers handle cities’ permitting and review processes.

Note: Gotion, the Chinese company linked to the CCP, plans a similarly sized plant for Manteno, IL.

The proposed question reads: “Shall the written consent from a minor’s parent or guardian be required before any entity, person, clinic or school can provide a minor (under the age of 18 years) any non-emergency medical procedure, medication, pharmaceutical, or any gender modification procedure, gender identification counseling or gender therapy?” The ballot question would not be binding.

“Legislation moving in the capital and backed by influential unions including one of the most politically potent, Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, would for the first time require the Illinois Commerce Commission to take into account potential loss of union jobs in their rulings on utilities’ rate-hike requests.”

Senate Bill 2697 would expand that coverage to include prevention and susceptibility cancer screenings for all types of cancer for people who have a family member affected by the deadly disease.

House Bill 5346 would require prosecutors to inform defense attorneys that they intend to use involuntary statements and provide any transcripts or recordings of interrogations 30 days before a hearing or trial. Defendants could also move to exclude states that they feel are unreliable and provide evidence to support their case.

“If you could imagine a scenario where Illinois’ ranking is poor in all these categories and then you add a progressive income tax of a high rate to that, I think that’s a recipe for absolute economic disaster for Illinois,” said Jonathan Williams, a co-author of the American Legislative Exchange Council report Rich States, Poor States. “What if Illinois did not have a low-rate flat tax? Illinois would be in competition for dead last.”

According to analysis by the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, the switch to LED bulbs would save Illinois consumers more than $1.5 billion on utility bills, avoid 2.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions by cutting energy waste, and avoid 419 pounds of mercury pollution by 2050.

“One single factor can reduce poverty by over 87 percent – work. Poverty rates among people with a full-time job is just 2 percent.”

” As we go into 2024, the question is: Can that magic continue? And it probably cannot continue at the magnitudes that it did last year because once the supply chain is healed, it’s healed. It’s not going to improve as much as it did last year.”

Niles mayor and restaurant owner George D. Alpogianis: “If legislators force restaurateurs to increase their payroll for tipped employees to the full minimum wage, it will upend this system with an unaffordable cost. The ripple effects in my restaurant alone would reach an estimated $300,000 a year at just at one of my restaurants.”

Nokomis School District Superintendent Scott Doerr said the bill is legislative overreach on what should be a local decision. The change is also one that could cost the district an estimated $500,000, he said, which could see an increase in property taxes to cover the sum.

Monday’s total solar eclipse, spanning 128 miles in southern and southeastern regions of the state, was expected to draw more than 200,000 visitors to Illinois. And, with it, a major boost to tourism. The 2017 eclipse saw $15 million to $18 million in total economic impact.

“Minorities and the poor would do well to question the progressive equity agenda that takes more and more and gives less and less.”

The House Revenue and Finance Committee advanced several measures that would allow for increases in property tax levies. House Bill 1075 would allow villages and townships to increase theirs for museums. House Bill 4179 would allow for a voter referendum to increase taxes for private ambulance costs.

“Under the new law, all defendants are presumed to be eligible for pretrial release,” 23rd Judicial Circuit Court Judge Marcy Buick said. “[…]We have all learned over the last six months that these hearings are complicated. … Judges are required to uphold and apply the law.”