Koehler also said the conversation will not only be about cuts but also whether the state will increase taxes and add programs that could increase revenue. “The governor is going to most likely suggest that we have some budget cuts, whether those will be across the board and whether they be equal in proportion, or whether we’ll again go in and prioritize certain things, but he’ll also have to talk about some revenue enhancements.”

Pritzker said the president’s tariffs would hit Illinois particularly hard, noting Illinois imports more goods from Canada than any other state.

From the Senate floor Tuesday, Durbin scrutinized President Donald Trump’s campaign messaging that mass deportations would initially target illegal immigrants who pose national security risks. “If this mass deportation is truly focused on dangerous individuals — murderers, rapists, drug dealers and [the] mentally ill — Dr. Phil has as much business being on these raids as he does performing surgery,” Durbin said.

House Bill 5164 would remove restrictions on illegal immigrants wishing to change their names. It passed both houses of Illinois Congress earlier this month and was sent to Pritzker’s desk last week.

Illinois has 44,784 federal civilian employees as of December 2024.

Another research study, this one published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open, reports that both recent and lifetime cannabis users run the risks of sustaining a decline in “brain function during cognitive tasks.”

The policy is consistent with the American Bar Association’s AI Policy. The policy states that “the Illinois Courts will be vigilant against AI technologies that jeopardize due process, equal protection, or access to justice. Unsubstantiated or deliberately misleading AI generated content that perpetuates bias, prejudices litigants, or obscures truth-finding and decision-making will not be tolerated.”

Jim Dey: “This week, similarly desperate Springfield Republicans threw their own “Hail Mary.” They filed a lawsuit asking the Democratic-controlled Illinois Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional the state House legislative maps drawn by their fellow Democrats. … The lawsuit names the state’s board of elections as defendants, and it asks the five Democratic and two Republican justices to ‘appoint a special master’ to draw a new map that ‘complies with the Illinois Constitution.'”

Wirepoints president Ted Dabrowski said Illinois’ 8th grade students outperforming national averages in both reading and math on “the nation’s report card” is not the metric to be looking at. “The right metric is to look and see how many kids are reading and that points at a disaster for Illinois,” said Dabrowski. “It’s a bad thing to compare to the national average when the national average has been collapsing, some of the worst scores in a long time.”

Already in this session, multiple repeal bills for the Act have been filed that have been referred to the Rules Committee. Senate Bill 1313 would rather require state law enforcement agencies to cooperate with ICE, “ensuring undocumented immigrants charged with or convicted of a felony are identified, reported, and deported.”