In more than five pages of written testimony submitted by the governor to the U.S. House Oversight Committee ahead of hours of questions from lawmakers, Pritzker wrote, “Federal officials should operate in Illinois, as they do in every state, to enforce federal immigration policy, but we will not divert our limited resources and officers to do the job of the federal government when it is not in the best interest of our state.”

Illinois ranked 42nd overall in the report, scoring near the bottom for average 10-year private sector employment growth. “Overall, they really didn’t have many private sector worker protections, it’s not a Right-to-Work state, and don’t have some of the same protections as some of the other states,” said Alan Jernigan, manager of the ALEC Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force.

Raoul, along with 20 other Democratic attorneys general, penned an open letter calling for unity in the legal profession against the Trump administration’s retaliation against law firms that have brought cases against the administration. “If we allow for the attack on the independent judiciary, then we’re nearing closer and closer to a constitutional crisis and the only thing that stands in the way is the people at large,” said Raoul.

Hippotherapy is a type of physical, occupational and speech therapy where the movement of a horse is used to treat a patient’s specific disability or disorder, such as autism, cerebral palsy, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, strokes, head and spinal cord injuries, as well as behavioral disorders and psychiatric disorders, including PTSD.

“Accept their premises. Affirm their rationalizations. Thank Mike Madigan for his selfless, praiseworthy service. Then get down on all fours before Madigan’s benefactors like Kevin Bacon in Animal House and recite the line with each paddle whack, Combine pledge, ‘Thank you, sir, may I have another.'”

After a referendum for a new sales tax failed in November, the Effingham School District passed a resolution this spring funding a $55 million total investment into district projects; It raises property taxes by 8-13 percent. An Illinois House Bill signed in September last year removed the referendum requirement in certain scenarios, and allows school boards to approve resolutions for new school buildings targeting pre-K and kindergarten spaces.

School officials warn it could disrupt financial planning, while one taxpayer, Dean Fletcher, said, “It’s just a blessing from the Lord that they didn’t have to pay that property tax increase as quickly as they otherwise would have.”

“A new report released by Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) reaffirms what many of us in the business community have long known: Illinois’ legal climate is quietly eroding our economy. According to the data, residents in Chicago and surrounding counties pay a staggering $2,100 per person each year in what experts refer to as a ‘tort tax’ – the hidden cost of excessive litigation.”

Its affiliate locations range from Galena Unit School District 120 in the uppermost northwest corner of Illinois to the Joppa-Maple Grove Unit District 38 in the southern tip of the state. And yet, in 2024, 60 percent of local affiliate spending was on CTU, with just 40 percent on the remaining locals.

Lawmakers unanimously passed House Bill 3657 that aligns calculations of Tier 2 benefits for Chicago first responders with those in the rest of the state. Chicago officials warned the plan will cost the city billions, however. Both the budget and Chicago pension bill still need the governor’s signature.

“While Illinois families struggle with rising costs, high taxes, the highest unemployment rate in the Midwest and crime, their governor is pouring billions into sanctuary-style programs and signing laws that punish police departments that try to uphold federal law. This isn’t just bad policy — it’s also dangerous.”

The calculation of the potential penalty emerged only days after the Oak Park Democrat attempted to pass legislation designed to wipe away the election board case and the potential penalties, a maneuver stymied amid bipartisan backlash only hours before the spring session adjourned. The developments take on an added political dimension because of the looming federal sentencing of former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan in the bribery-related ComEd scandal.

Jim Dey: “The high court has threatened in the past to start enforcing the ‘three readings rule,’ a good government provision inserted to ensure proposed legislation gets a thorough public review. But legislators, perhaps sensing the justices’ lack of gumption, have continued to do as they please. After all, they don’t no need stinkin’ constitution to guide them.”