“In my view we now have a proposal that is not a perfect solution, and again, we’d like Congress to take action but the Republican-controlled House is not willing to do so,” Pritzker said. “The President is using whatever tools he has to do what is necessary.”

Fleet security company CargoNet said Illinois, California and Texas account for over 60 percent of the heists during the first quarter of this year. “Last year, I thought it was the worst it was going to get,” said Mike Kucharski, of of JKC Trucking in Chicago. “Cargo theft was up 57 percent in the fourth quarter, and now during the first quarter they’re reporting it’s up another 46 percent. It’s crazy.”

Republicans uniformly voted against the budget package with the exception of a measure that does away with the state’s 1 percent tax on groceries, but even some Democrats balked at the budget and voted against either the spending or revenue plans last week.

The Sangamon County circuit judge issued a permanent injunction against the provision of Senate Bill 2412 which blocked the ability of political parties to slate candidates in the upcoming November election.

Jim Dey: “Gov. JB Pritzker and state legislators just passed a record-setting $53.1 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. … So revenues, obviously, have to keep up with planned spending to avoid budget chaos. With just one month remaining in the current 2023-24 fiscal year, overall state revenues of $47.7 billion are up by $986 million over the same period in FY 23-24. By itself, that is an impressive figure, but (State revenue manager Eric) Noggle said that’s ‘just 2.1 percent above last year’s 11-month total.'”

That number is far below the 106 juveniles who’ve been fatally shot in Chicago alone since July 1, 2022, and whose families could have been eligible to apply for the funding. Across the state, 203 died in a similar manner. Even Mychal Moultry, the father of the bill’s namesake, was unaware of its status. When he found out how few people have been able to use the program, he was incensed.

“Illinois is on the right track,” state Sen. Elgie Sims said. “Don’t let anybody tell you anything different. The reality is, we are making the investments necessary to grow our state’s economy, but also make Illinois a better place for those who live, work, and call Illinois home.”

the Illinois Finance Authority Climate Bank is a government agency that pursues federal taxpayer dollars to combat climate change. State Sen. Rachel Ventura said local governments can go to the taxpayer-funded IFA Climate Bank instead of the bond market and secure lower interest rates.

In a 25-page complaint against Rockford Public Schools, filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the National Center for Youth Law and the MacArthur Justice Center said that Rockford police officers have been “addressing minor behaviors that should be handled as an educational matter by parents, teachers, and school leaders — and not as a law enforcement matter by police officers.” The complaint adds: “Black students bear the brunt of this harm.”

While each state has different regulations for homeschooling — and most of them are relatively weak — Illinois is among a small minority that places virtually no rules on parents who homeschool their children: The parents aren’t required to register with any governmental agency, and no tests are required. Parents don’t have to have a high school diploma or GED, and state authorities cannot compel them to demonstrate their teaching methods or prove attendance, curriculum or testing outcomes.

“Illinoisans are in for the record tax bill that goes with record spending. The budget is nearly $15 billion higher than when (Gov. JB) Pritzker took office, and at this rate by the time he finishes his second term it will be closing in on $20 billion higher.”

“(The Department of Justice) is signaling it will go after companies almost regardless of the underlying merits of a case, just so long as its efforts elicit headlines. And that’s why we need Attorney General Raoul to take a stand. By declining to sign on — by pragmatically working to protect data and eschewing expensive, frivolous lawsuits — he can point the way forward.”

Once signed into law, the new budget bills will allow State Comptroller Susana Mendoza to pay down the state’s pension debt quicker if the state takes in excess tax revenue. She currently can only legally pay what’s owed each month regardless of whether the state takes extra tax revenue. Beginning in the next fiscal year, she’ll be allowed to put all the extra dollars towards the state’s pension debt.

The $53.1 billion state budget that awaits Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature appropriates $10 million to the state Supreme Court for county public defenders, the same as in the current budget. Advocates say far more is needed for a statewide public defender office to be effective. In Cook County’s 2024 budget, for example, the public defender’s office got about $102 million while about $205 million was set aside for the state’s attorney’s office.